Boy, The Panthers Sure Do Like Their Steroids

In case you missed it, The Charlotte Observer yesterday published an impressively thorough story on the rampant steroid and HGH use among the Carolina Panthers over the last few years. It's rather damning. Highlights include:

• Three of the starting five members of the Panthers Super Bowl offensive line were apparently prescribed "disturbing" amounts of steroids and HGH. • The majority of the players reported considerable physical side effects, including loss of hair, shrunken testicles and all kinds of nipple issues. (Really.) • Two players, including Todd Stussie, who's still in the NFL, received shipments of steroids within a week of the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.

You see, now that's kind of amazing. For all the hollerin' and screamin' involving steroids in baseball, this is a confirmed report of players taking steroids directly before the Super Bowl. Imagine if we found out that Barry Bonds injected testosterone into his skull an hour before a World Series game with the Angels? People would flip out, right? Wouldn't they? Maybe?

On File: Steroids' Risks, Ravages [Charlotte Observer]