Justin Verlander's Solution To Drug Use In Baseball
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Justin Verlander, a longtime advocate of creating more rigorous P.E.D.-testing in MLB, is more than willing to walk the walk.
"Test me every day," he said in an interview with FanRagSports.
In fact, to eliminate drug use from baseball, he'd like daily testing to become a league-wide routine.
"If you come in every day knowing you'll be peeing into a cup, that should deter people," he said.
Despite MLB ramping up its drug testing in recent years, the game isn't entirely clean. Last year, three players tested positive for taking a banned substance, including two-time All-Star Dee Gordon.
"The proof's in the pudding," Verlander said. "Guys are still getting popped."
And in all likelihood, others are still getting away with it.
"The problem is, the quality of the stuff the guys are taking is better than the quality of our tests. They are always a step ahead," Verlander told the Detroit News last April. "I think there needs to be more testing and harsher penalties for those who test positive. That's the consensus among the players and I would think that's what everybody wants."
[RELATED: Verlander, Ausmus Differ On Suspected Drug-Users In Hall Of Fame]
In regard to MLB's 'War on Drugs,' Verlander wants to correct a common misconception.
"The Players Association has pushed to get the system where it is now. I think people think it's the other way around, but it's not," he told the News. "It's the players who have pushed the system to where it's at and we still want it to be better.
"We have the best system in the world right now. Is it good enough? No."
Daily testing, though a logistical longshot, could be the answer. Either way, Verlander is adamant about cleaning up the game.
"I'm passionate about it," he told FanRag Sports. "This is a great game. I love the challenge of it. But you like to know it's fair."
