Steroids-Related Injury for Shawne Merriman

By: TRSlyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com


One of the reason that bloggers and mainstream sports media hate each other is that bloggers claim that the mainstream media is in bed with athletes. Bloggers claim that the journalistic integrity of the mainstream is compromised because if they write critically of an athlete, that athlete will deny future interview requests. When Sports Illustrated wrote an article which criticised Michael Jordan's decision to play baseball, Jordan never granted them an interview again. That was a problem for them. With such a dynamic in place, the mainstream is then forced to bury criticism even when it is due.

Case in point- Charges All-Pro Linebacker Shawne Merriam's career is now in jeopardy due to two torn ligaments in his left knee. The mainstream media is writing all of their articles in passive voice as if this injury simply spontaneously occurred. Left out of their articles is the cause of this. Apparently, Merriman's injury didn't happen during a play on the field, or an accident at home, nor was it a genetic condition. It was steroids.

Calling this injury a "steroid-related injury" would not be inuendo, conjecture or mean-spirited, either- Merriman flunked a steroid test in 2006 and was suspended for four games as a result. It's well known that steroids put tremendous strain on ligaments since the muscles grow abnormally large due to the steroids, while the ligaments remain the same size as they are unaffected by steroids. The muscles then grow too large for the tendons to be able to contain and the tendons tear. It's like trying to carry bricks in a paper grocery bag- they're not designed for that kind of heft. In fact the most common injuries associated with steroid usage are ligament damage to the knees.

This is an open and shut case of steroids ruining an athlete's career, and the mainstream media hasn't mentioned it. Way to set a good example for the kids, Mainstream. This is a GREAT opportunity for the media to say, "Hey kids, look what happens when you do steroids. They're a deal with the devil. The commercial that tells you 'steroids don't create great athletes, they destroy them' is exactly right." But instead the hidden message to kids is, "Hey kids, cronyism and compromised integrity is a way of life. If someone cheats to get ahead, go after them only if they are incapable of furthering your career."

Merriman got what he deserved, but it's too bad the mainstream media hasn't gotten their just comeuppance.

8/25 Update: ESPN.com just ran this article. The only sentence which describes his ailment is phrased, surprisingly, in the passive voice. "Merriman told reporters in San Diego on Saturday that he has a tear in his lateral collateral ligament as well as a grade-three tear of his posterior collateral ligament. " Funny how Merriman didn't say "I tore it during..." or "I tore it while I was..." he said that he has a tear. A tear arrived upon his knee. His knee was visited by a tear. We all have friends that have torn ligaments in their knee. But didn't all of our friends endure some kind of accident that tore their knee? I thought so...



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