Jeremy Mayfield - NASCAR driver suspended for failing a drug test.
It is never a pretty sight when one of our sports heroes falls, unless you are one of those people who happens to take delight in those sort of things. If you are one of those people then this blog post is not for you. No no no, this post is specifically for the powers that be at the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
I’m talking to you Brian France and Mike Helton.
What I have to say to you is really quite simple, I intend to be straightforward and to the point…
Tell us what Jeremy Mayfield had in his body that made him fail a drug test and got him suspended.
Tell us what he took!!!
We need to know, and more importantly, his fellow drivers on the track need to know as well!!!
Now I know some of you out there may be saying that it is none of my business to know exactly what Mayfield was on or what he took that got him booted from his Sprint Cup ride. For that matter, some of you may be saying that it is none of your business either. But I disagree with both assertions and say that it is the responsibility of NASCAR to end all of the speculation that is going around right now by telling all of us what it was that Mayfield was on.
NASCAR won’t budge right now and say what he took, NASCAR is saying that it’s not relevant.
NASCAR couldn’t be more wrong.
Jenna Fryer said it best in her syndicated piece for the Associated Press:
It is relevant to know if Mayfield was driving a car high on a recreational drug.
It is relevant to know what dangers the 42 other drivers were exposed to with Mayfield on the track.
It is relevant to Mayfield, who blames the positive test from Richmond International Speedway on the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine.
As long as NASCAR won’t say what he did, no explanation can ever be fully believed, especially as Dr. David Black, the CEO of Aegis Sciences Corp., which runs NASCAR’s testing program, dismissed Mayfield’s explanation.
So what exactly did Mayfield do?
Did he take something to improve his strength, stave off fatigue or otherwise improve his performance? Or did he endanger the lives of his fellow competitors by operating a vehicle under the influence of an illegal street drug?
That is what makes this so different and so much more dangerous then anything we might think that Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez has done. If A-Rod dives into the stands after foul ball there isn’t a chance that a fan is going to be killed by flaming debris. Think back to the end of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega a few weeks back – remember Carl Edwards getting airborne and getting into the retaining wall in the Tri-oval? That’s the kind of danger that I am talking about! When you think about that kind of result, taking a Female Reproductive Hormone pales by comparison!
These guys travel in speeds in excess of 200 mph at some tracks, I would think that the other drivers in the field and the fans in the grandstands would need to know if one of the drivers is high! It is difficult enough having to control these vehicles when one is sober (I imagine), trying to handle a car when your judgement and decision-making abilities are impaired at that speeds could mean another driver – or even worse – some the spectators being killed.
This is why we all need to know what the hell Jeremy Mayfield was on and why it is relevant. This has nothing to do with privacy issues – forget privacy – privacy has nothing to do
J.J. Yeley will be in the #41 car for the rest of the season.
with it. This is a business decision plain and simple. Right now the country is in the midst of a bad recession, and we are doing everything we can to pull out of it. We have GM, Ford and Chrysler in trouble with consumer spending at a standstill. One of the luxuries that some families are allowing themselves right now is attending NASCAR events on the weekends. Now if people were to become less than confident in their own personal safety at any one of the tracks because of what one of your drivers may or may not be on, they may decide not to buy a ticket to the All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600, the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona on July 4th…
Brian, Mike, do I have your attention now?
You need to come out and tell us what Jeremy Mayfield took and whether or not he was impaired on the track. This will calm everyone’s fears and say to your customers that you have the situation in hand, and that we should not worry about our safety at the track. You also need to come out a re-assure us that no other driver has popped a positive on whatever it is you are testing for. We need to know that not only are we safe, but that our favorite driver is safe as well.
Now having said all of that, there is a silver lining to this story…
Because Mayfield has been suspended by NASCAR his wife has had to find someone to take over his ride. That someone has turned out to be J.J. Yeley. J.J’s last gig was at Hall of Fame Racing until he was dumped part way through last season. The good news is that J.J. could be in the #41 car for the rest of the season. The bad news is that he will be subjected to the same drug tests that Mayfield and all the other drivers are, and this bring up a question of why doesn’t NASCAR provide a list of substances that are banned under their drug policy to their drivers? That’s not exactly fair or right, is it? NASCAR gives a list to crew members, but not to the drivers. Yeley said it at ESPN.com:
“I know in the NFL and some of the other professional sports they make a list of everything that is legal and not legal,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the way NASCAR does it. I don’t know what I can take. If I have a migraine I’m scared to death to take something that may or may not trigger something.”
NASCAR needs to get on the stick and get the information out to the drivers that way if they have allergies or whatnot, they can get the proper medicine they need without running afoul of the drug cops.
It’s only right that NASCAR should not force a driver like Yeley to perform with a migraine (potentially) or even cost someone like Carl Edwards his sponsorship with Claritan-D in an economy where sponsorships are hard to come by.
NASCAR needs to get with it – and fast, because more than just safety is at stake!
I think it is important. After seeing past accidents and what can go wrong, the public should be made aware of any substance that will impair his or other driver’s abilities to control their cars. If he was under influence at all, he shouldn’t have been driving. Period! The public safety and other drivers have every right to know what he took and why. It shouldn’t be covered up. If he does it, how many others have their been that was not known or even talked about?
People idolize anyone in the public light, and he is not setting an example for kids. I am a firm believer that being famous or not, anyone working for a well known company, including NASCAR, should be made to repersent that company both in public and private, since you never know who may be watching or listening. Work ethics, otherwise, should be held in the highest standard. When you have something like this come out, it doesn’t leave a good taste in the public eye, when he should have been more responsible. NASCAR may want to shove the dirt under the rug but the public is watching, and they idolize drivers who they admire. Given examples like these doesn’t set well. Being responsible, and taking a stand is the only way to remind people of the consquences, the dangers and what could happen, even at the time, nothing did. He was just lucky but we all know luck doesn’t always stick around. I say they should make it aware, make it known and be responsible!
Apparently the NASCAR Doctor told Mayfield what he tested positive for, but he won’t share the information. He did confirm that it wasn’t a Performance-enhancer, so that just leaves a recreational drug.
If that’s the case then why aren’t the other drivers up in arms about Mayfield playing Russian Roulette with all of their lives like that. It’s bad enough when someone is impaired and gets behind the wheel and drives onto a street, but to do it and go driving at Richmond or Darlington?!? That is beyond stupid!!!
I totally agree. If someone where driving under any influence other than NASCAR, normally would be fined, thrown in jail and their record would be made public. I think when one does something like this, the risk of personal injury, let alone putting other’s lives in danger is far more risky than most would think. any influence that impairs one’s ability to control a vehicle or actions, should be openly discussed. I cannot imagine how other drivers would feel once the race was over but personally, I would be furious and want something done so that it never happens again, and yes, made public, since that man could very well get into his own personal vehicle and litterally hurt someone on the streets. Race car driver or not, the possiblity is there that if he is doing it in NASCAR, he could do it on public streets and people should be made aware. A JUST-INCASE-SITUATION!
I know to an extent that NASCAR really doesn’t know how to handle these situations, but they need to handle them better than this. If it could happen with Mayfield, then who else could it happen to?
Its almost like how they handled the situation with Tim Richmond back in the 80′s (almost – but not quite). I know that in that case that Richmond contracted AIDS and NASCAR didn’t know how to deal, but you would have thought that they had learned something in the enseuing years. I know in that case they were caught totally unaware of what to do, but today they have more of a blueprint to copy off of from the NFL, NBA, MLB and so on. Sometimes disclosure is a good thing and privacy – at least in this case – is not the way to go.
I fully expect to see Mayfield on “The Smoking Gun presents – The World’s Dumbest drivers” one of these days.
I hear you. Soemtimes things should remain private but not in cases where it could very well effect others players, drivers and public. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way but sweepeing them under the rug (or should I say tires?) isn’t how this should be handled.
Public safety is a priority everywhere but when you have a situation like this, most people are dumbfounded and don’t know how to handle it. I say let it be known, readjust rules and make sure the penalities are strict enough that they won’t even consider putting someone else’s life, let alone their own, in danger. That goes for all sports since it seems there are more and more sports events and players getting into more trouble.
What gets me most I think, not just the safety part, is that children look up to these people. They idolize and want to grow up to be just like them someday. It doesn’t help their reputation with things like this. If one is going to be an example, then they should follow the rules, their common sense and start living a life they can be proud of for the kids who do admire them. They need to conduct themselves professionally and honesty.
Times have changed and when you do something that isn’t morally conclusive to the public, to the safety, and to the sponsor’s reputation, then something should be done. The average person couldn’t get away with something like this and just because you make a name for yourself, doesn’t mean you are any better than the average Joe.