University of Georgia lineman Kolton Houston has been deemed ineligible to play since testing positive for high amounts of anabolic steroid in 2010. Despite the appeals, the NCAA has stood firm with their decision. Based on the first administered drug test by UGA the results showed that Kolton had Nandrolone levels of 260 ng/ml and the NCAA limit is 2.5 ng/ml. This was a surprise to both Kolton and the university. It seemed odd that Kolton had such high levels of this substance, which lead to the university to investigate his past medical records that could potentially explain why. What the university found was that Kolton was administered injections that contained the anabolic steroid to help him recover from a shoulder injury during his junior year in high school. It still did not explain as to why the drug at levels that high were still in his system, which should have gradually exited out of his system by the time he stepped onto UGA’s campus in 2010. It turns out that the banned substance somehow got trapped in his fatty tissue which explains the high levels of the anabolic steroid.
Since that discovery, Kolton has tried numerous of radical treatments to get the steroid out of his system which included taking an experimental antibiotic, a 150-degree steam treatment, and a controversial/risky surgery. The surgery procedure removed masses of fatty tissues that contained the illegal substance, which seemed to have the best results. Since the airing of Outside The Lines (OTL): Testing The Limit (see video below) on May 10th, 2013, Kolton Houston is continuing to fight to regain NCAA eligibility since his freshman year. He is currently at 4 ng/ml, but despite his efforts to bring down the levels substantially the NCAA will not allow him to play until his Nandrolone levels are 2.5 ng/ml.
I understand why the NCAA will not make an expectation to the rule for Kolton despite his unique circumstances. If the NCAA allows Kolton to play above the allowed limit of an illegal substance despite it will not give the athlete any athletic or physical advantage in competition then they have to do it for everyone who may be in a similar situation. However, based on my knowledge of the situation I believe the NCAA should allow Kolton Houston to play his final year of eligibility as a Georgia Bulldog.
Here is why:
- He has proven that he was not taking the drug in the first place, but was used for recovery purposes from an injury he sustained in high school.
- He has not been “re-using” the substance since he tested positive his freshman year at UGA in 2010.
- He has substantially reduced his Nandrolone levels from 260 ng/ml to 4 ng/ml due to his valiant efforts to be able to play one season of college football.
The NCAA should not punish him or anything athlete for something beyond his or her control. With that said, a petition has been created by Jeremy Barton to overturn the NCAA’s decision of Kolton Houston’s eligibility.
The petition states as follows:
The NCAA claims in their mission statement that “Our mission is to be an integral part of higher education and to focus on the development of our student-athletes.”
However, it is sometimes the case that the NCAA fails to focus on the student athlete, but rather focuses on the maintenance of a highly bureaucratic set of rules that makes the Postal Service look streamlined. In those times, its implementation of the rules can make Joseph McCarthy look like the great compromiser.
The case of Kolton Houston demonstrates this rigid approach towards governing (not fostering) our student athletes. Houston, unknowingly injected by a doctor during recovery from a shoulder injury in high school, has been tested for illegal substances upwards of 80+ times over the course of 3 years since enrolling at UGA. The substance in question has decreased by 98.5% since first being tested. The levels are now marginally over the deemed NCAA limit, but despite the UGA Medical team’s appeals to the NCAA, he is denied the opportunity to join his teammates on the field.
The NCAA should review its approach towards the enforcement of their rulebook, and reinstate Houston for the upcoming season. The student has gone above and beyond the necessary to prove, statistically, that he is not using banned substances. Let the kid play!!
(To sign petition click on the following link: Mark Emmert and the NCAA: Allow Kolton Houston to pursue his collegiate dream to compete athletically)
Knowing how stubborn the NCAA can be especially when they do not want to admit they have done wrong to a university or athlete I do not see them changing their mind anytime soon. This does not mean that Jeremy Barton’s nor Kolton’s efforts have gone to waste. The petition has shown that the NCAA’s firm stance of the law is actually hurting the athletes more rather than helping like their mission statement dictates. Hopefully Kolton’s interview with OTL will help make high school athletes especially their parents to become more aware about what substances doctors are injecting into the adolescents system and the effects it could have. By being more involved and asking questions will help prevent someone else from going through a similar situation that Kolton is dealing with currently.
Do you agree with the NCAA’s firm stance? Should the NCAA make an exception and allow Kolton Houston to play his final year at UGA?
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