More drug or steroid problems on the PGA Tour?

Steve Elling and Laurence Donegan think it’s possible. Doug barron may be a four alarm migraine for Tim Finchem, who is looking more and more like Bud Selig every day.

Elling’s article about how some players may have been caught for pot or cocaine is here. From the article:

“Plenty of rumors have circulated this year about positive tests — Barron’s attorney offered no names or first-hand knowledge to support his claim — but if the case continues in court, the tour could be asked to give an account. Earlier this season at the one-year anniversary of testing, tour commissioner Tim Finchem said that while no positive tests for steroids had turned up, he did not deny that players had tested positive for recreational drugs.

The tour has repeatedly declined to name those players and Finchem, in a jarring conflict of interest that has been decried several times, has complete latitude to dispense punishment for recreational-drug use as he sees fit. In other words, he can do next to nothing and nobody but the offending player would know the nature of the sanction. The tour has never announced fines for disciplinary actions, another frequent point of criticism.”

Laurence Donegan’s article on the same issue is here. From the article:

“The PGA Tour could not be reached for comment last night. Earlier this year, its commissioner Tim Finchem was asked about the use of recreational drugs on tour and said, “we may have had some test results that trouble”.

“But we don’t publicize those. We treat those as conduct unbecoming. I’m not saying this has happened or not, I’m just saying what the process is. If we get a test like that, we will consider it conduct unbecoming, and what are our choices? We can suspend a player, we can fine a player, we can do both of those and put a player into treatment. We could also add to that regular testing,” he added.”

Finchem sounds and acts exactly like the excreble Bud Selig, hiding behind the game’s altruistic spirit to make sure nothing negative might impede the flow of money into the tour’s coffers, instead of protecting the game’s image by exposing cheaters. But you never expected an empty-suit that speaks only about branding and marketing to do the right thing did you? After all, “Greed is good”…at least in Tim Finchem’s world.

Wouldn’t be humiliating is when the Olympics roll around, players are caught using HGH left and right? If Tim keeps deliberately looking the other way, it’s a real possibility.