Major League Baseball players and owners agreed to toughen penalties for steroid use to a 50-game suspension for a first failed test and a lifetime ban for a third, The Associated Press learned.

 

The deal, which also adds testing for amphetamines, was described to the AP by two congressional aides on condition of anonymity because it had not been officially announced.

 

A formal announcement was planned for later Tuesday, a baseball official told the AP.

 

Baseball's current steroid penalties are a 10-day suspension for a first offense, 30 days for a second offense, and 60 days for a third. The earliest a player could be banned for life is a fifth offense.

 

The sport's second new steroids agreement in 10 months came after lengthy negotiations prompted by urging from Congress -- including the threat of legislation that would require higher penalties and stricter testing standards.

Good.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2224832&type=story

 

My hat is off to Bud throughout this whole controversy.

Nice work MLB

Appeals process is going to have to be strengthened too though, given what's at stake...I wonder how they're going to do that one...

great news

 

what is not clear to me is what is the penalty for 2nd failed test. Maybe I missed it.

 

50-100-life?

10-20-Life!

Test for amphetamines? Would exctasy make a player better? Not that they should be doing amphetamines anyway, but who would do that before ANY sport? Crazy.

 

Good policy though. It's about time.

A glance at Tuesday's drug-testing agreement between baseball players and owners, described to The Associated Press by two congressional aides:

 

 

Steroid Penalties

First positive test: 50-game suspension, up from 10 days.

Second positive test: 100-game suspension, up from 30 days.

Third positive test: Lifetime ban, with player having right to apply for reinstatement after two years and an arbitrator being able to review reinstatement decision. Under the previous agreement, the earliest a player could be suspended for life was for a fifth positive test.

 

 

Amphetamine Penalties (There was no testing for amphetamines in previous agreement)

First positive test: Mandatory additional testing.

Second positive: 25-game suspension.

Third positive: 80-game suspension.

Fourth positive: Commissioner's discretion, with an arbitrator being able to review.

 

 

Testing frequency

 

A player will be tested during spring training physicals and at least once during the regular season, with additional random testing. Under the previous agreement, each player was tested once from the start of spring training through the end of the regular season, with additional random testing. Both the new agreement and the previous deal provided for offseason testing.

 

 

Independent Administrator

 

A person not connected to management or the union will schedule and supervise the tests, which currently are administered by a join management-union committee.

It's a step in the right direction. What's the NFL's policy for comparison?

Test for amphetamines? Would exctasy make a player better? Not that they should be doing amphetamines anyway, but who would do that before ANY sport? Crazy.

 

Good policy though. It's about time.

 

Im pretty sure Amphetamine's control weight and they can be a stimulant, Im pretty sure (correct me if Im wrong) that fighter pilots in the armed forces use them before missions to keep them alert and such.

It's a step in the right direction. What's the NFL's policy for comparison?

 

4-16-life

 

I think

Good stuff! That previous policy was crap in a bag.

i applaud bud on this.

 

 

this policy starts to grow and get better all the time.

 

 

once they are able to push through HGH, it will be a really good policy.

A lot of people don't like him, but I think Bud Selig has been awesome. He has done a world of good for MLB.

 

I like this policy. I just wonder if they will allow the players to appeal before serving the suspension.

For the first time in my life, I'll say that my hat's off to Bud.

 

He finally does something decent.

Much better policy than before, but I still want 100 on first offense and life for second.

Good for Bud. It is a start.

Much better policy than before, but I still want 100 on first offense and life for second.

 

 

Ideally it should be the rest of the year at first, life for second.

 

But neither yours nor mine would ever get approved.

I think MLB had their hands forced. If they hadn't come up with a more acceptable punishment, Congress was going to have to step in. And NO ONE wanted that...

I think MLB had their hands forced. If they hadn't come up with a more acceptable punishment, Congress was going to have to step in. And NO ONE wanted that...

 

Correction, the players union had their hand forced.

 

Bud wanted this.

Hopefully it will come into line with olympic testing of 2years for first offence and lifetime for the 2nd, so that baseball will have the leverage to get back into the olympics.