Jeffress Suspended for drug use - new info?

[BillScottCanRake]

I won't touch on the whole issue about which drugs he did and whether or not they are a big deal or not. I don't know enough to comment on that intelligently.

 

The part that hurts, from a baseball perspective, is that he's going to miss 50 games- or 10 starts. That's a big deal, and it almost certainly ensures he'll spend the entire year next year in either West Virginia or Brevard County, rather than possibly getting some time in Huntsville in the second half.

 

What ever the reason for the suspension, and regardless of what happens with his baseball future, I hope he can move forward.

[JimH5]

This doesn't seem that fair. Being a drug addict is not like being a wife-beater or rapist or whatever. I have some empathy for Jeffress and I hope he can get his life together. Hopefully it is just weed and not something more serious like cocaine or heroin.

 

You're right, Joe Hova. Addiction is a tough thing, and I do want to see him go on to have a successful life and baseball career. I root for Josh Hamilton to do the same.

 

That said, I look at someone who is confronting his demons differently than someone who is just living a reckless life and not seeking help.

 

And I'm not equating Jeffress' situation with Hamilton's. I just mentioned him as an example of someone who has a problem and is dealing with it.

[gregmag]

Assuming we're talking about weed, I agree with Ryne and Saget. Mothership, I see your point, but the fact is that a lot of 19 year-olds are stupid. I don't mean that in a "these kids today" sense; I mean that most of us were stupider and more reckless at 19 than we are now. There's actually a major developmental upside to being stupid and reckless at 19 -- you make mistakes, and you have a chance to learn from them. Molitor did; lots of people do.

 

Again, assuming we're talking about weed . . . yes, it's illegal, but I don't believe simple possession should be illegal, given our society's booze culture and bad experience with prohibition. Thus, I can't get worked up about a weed bust simply because it's illegal. The law's the law, and I agree that everybody has to abide by it. But we don't have to treat legality as an infallible moral barometer. Adultery is illegal in most states too, and it hurts spouses and children -- yet I don't hear anybody calling for the suspension of every married womanizer in baseball. Beating up your wife or girlfriend is damn well illegal, yet we've seen more than one batterer-player get off with counseling and not miss a game. I don't have an answer to any of this, except that if MLB has the audacity to claim the moral high ground for its conduct policy, I think that's garbage.

 

Whatever -- I'm just depressed about this, like everybody else.

 

Greg.

[dadofandrew]

Joe, if it is an "addiction", he would have been caught before now. I would chalk it up to him being an idiot, which hopefully, he will outgrow, and not allow himself to make it a lifelong thing.

[bjkrautk]

I want to put this on drafting a 1st rounder out of HS....then I think back to the smell of my Freshman dorm...

 

Illegal narcotics are just that: illegal. I don't really care what the NBA does or doesn't test for....they're not exactly the model of player conduct.

 

I'm also not a believer that bad conduct (e.g. adultery, alcoholism) should be used to justify other bad conduct. Players know that the leagues don't test for spousal fidelity....they test for drugs.

 

We're dealing with professional athletes here. If ever there was a group of people who should be concerned with using substances that negatively affect the coordination of mind and body....it's someone who depends on both to make a living.

[biedergb]

I hope we don't have the baseball version of Ricky Williams

[ryne100]

Don't lump him in with Ricky Williams right now. That's not fair at all.

 

We all know Turnbow used steroids and put together a solid major league career. I realize we have higher expectations for Jeffress, but he is still growing into an adult. He will sit his time and go through the longest stretch that he can remember without playing baseball, and if baseball is important enough to him, he will realize his mistake. If he doesn't learn, then we have a Ricky Williams situation where the player doesn't care about the sport. If this is the case, then he probably wouldn't be that successful anyways.

[bork]

Boy, every affiliate in the postseason, yet this is probably the least interested I've been in the minors since I found Brewerfan.net. Very disapointing season.

[colbyjack]

Illegal narcotics are just that: illegal. I don't really care what the NBA does or doesn't test for....they're not exactly the model of player conduct.

 

I'm also not a believer that bad conduct (e.g. adultery, alcoholism) should be used to justify other bad conduct. Players know that the leagues don't test for spousal fidelity....they test for drugs.

 

We're dealing with professional athletes here. If ever there was a group of people who should be concerned with using substances that negatively affect the coordination of mind and body....it's someone who depends on both to make a living.

 

Extremely well put bjkrautk. This really isn't up to determine how marijuana is viewed in the general public, how it related to other issues off the field, how smart a guy is or anything like that. Jeffress broke the rules, and he is being punished accordingly. No matter how you look at it, this is extremely disappointing for a young man with so much promise.

 

I understand that he is an extremely young man at an age when I was doing things that would have banned me from professional sports for a long, long time. But I was never in that position. I never had that talent, as there is a big difference between guys (and gals) like us and someone like Jeremy Jeffress. We never received that seven-figure bonus out of high school (and if you did, more power to you). No matter what drug he was busted for it is a stupid, stupid move. I hope he can learn from it and become better because of it, but this is the type of thing that takes a long, long time to shake from one's reputation, and as we've seen before in recent years, it can downright ruin one's career in a hurry.

[Team Canada]

should this not be in the major league forum ? this is big news is it not ? and its buried in the minor league forum because he is in the minors.

 

 

Although I know what you're saying, if people want to see big minor league news, they should read the minors forum. The majors forum is for MLB topics.

[jackalope02ca]

We need to really find a way to recoup the signing bonuses from these guys. You break the rules we get a portion or all of it back. Not sure if the collective agreement would allow that wording in the contracts. It's something I'm hoping Brewer management is looking into. I'm not suggesting nullifying the contract but allowing us to get back part or all of the signing bonus depending on the circumstances. Example someone uses a medication for a legitimate medical problem but it's banned by MLB and it's just a stupid error we get a portion back, someone uses heroin we get it all back. All teams should do the same.

[homer]

For me it's not the drugs themselves as much as the indication that the guy is a complete idiot. I don't care whatsoever about 90% of people smoking pot (excluding those who are in a position to put others at risk), and view it in the same class as getting drunk. However, when you're in a position where you know you'll be tested and you know it's forbidden and do it anyway, it really shows that you're stupid, and one drug isn't that much better or worse than another, as all indicate an equal level of stupidity. Seriously, you're a #1 draft pick trying to make it to the bigs and you can't go out of your way to find a legal way to catch a buzz?

Couldn't put it any better myself. Completely sums up my feelings.

 

Yeah, I did some stupid things when I was 19 but I wasn't getting a multi million dollar bonus to stay clean and sober either.

[MoneyballMan]

I don't care if it's Marijuano or Heroin ultimately it's illegal and all these guys know it.

 

For me it's not the drugs themselves as much as the indication that the guy is a complete idiot. I don't care whatsoever about 90% of people smoking pot (excluding those who are in a position to put others at risk), and view it in the same class as getting drunk. However, when you're in a position where you know you'll be tested and you know it's forbidden and do it anyway, it really shows that you're stupid, and one drug isn't that much better or worse than another, as all indicate an equal level of stupidity. Seriously, you're a #1 draft pick trying to make it to the bigs and you can't go out of your way to find a legal way to catch a buzz?

Exactly. It demonstrates his IQ level more than anything. What a moron.

[TheBrewer]

I hate to say it, but its going to happen. Yea as someone pointed out earlier, "tossing balls, playing baseball.. or picking up trash or something " w/e. For me, I'm a pretty mature kid, never touched that *%**, my ex best friend did after he got depressed and pretty much lost it, but its going to happen. For us on here, its a pretty obvious choice not to do pot and drugs to potentially damage a bright future in major league baseball, but when your young, 19, got a 1.3Million dollar I believe signing bonus, top draft pick, great young baseball player etc, you think you got the world going for you, and your unstopable, you cant get hurt, nothing can stand in your way. Hopefully he'll take this, and get a nice wakup call and turn it around.

[NastyTwig]

I've heard from an ex-Brewer (not naming names) that the MLB would rather have you smoking weed (thus, staying in your hotel and going to sleep at an earlier time) than going out and leagally drinking...

[brewmann04]

very Dissapointed but hopefully this 19 years kid will learn from his mistake and be better for it.

But like a follow posterit very dissapointing end to our season.

PS well at least it not arm or shoulder problems.

[Tbadder]

If it's Mary Jane, well, that's just ridiculous. Might as well suspend him for beer. I swear we've turned into a society of complete ignorant old farts. Now, if it's something worse, crack, H, etc. that's something different. Ahhhhhh...the hobgoblin of little minds.

[HebrewHammer]

If it's Mary Jane, well, that's just ridiculous. Might as well suspend him for beer. I swear we've turned into a society of complete ignorant old farts. Now, if it's something worse, crack, H, etc. that's something different. Ahhhhhh...the hobgoblin of little minds.

It's true.

Seriously, you're better off doing Cocaine if you're worried about failing a drug test. Cocaine isn't detectable after about a day or two after using it. Especially if you're a young, athletic guy with a high metabolism. Cocaine won't be detectable most likely since I believe they have to give the players 24 hour notice before tests.

 

But drug testing is a multi million dollar industry and they make a lot of money because Marijuana is illegal and stays in your body for weeks.

I understand he's an idiot for breaking the rules, etc and getting caught. But I sympathize with him.

 

People think he's a bad person or something now because he wasn't a total square and wanted to have a little bit of fun and experiment. You know, the things you're supposed to do when you're under 30? He's a baseball player, but he's a person first. And 19 year old kids are going to have fun too. Big contract or not, that's only one part of his life.

[mark brouhard is number on]

but marijuana is a gateway drug.http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/roll.gif

 

 

what a joke

[Team Canada]

HebrewHammer wrote:

People think he's a bad person or something now because he wasn't a total square and wanted to have a little bit of fun and experiment. You know, the things you're supposed to do when you're under 30? He's a baseball player, but he's a person first. And 19 year old kids are going to have fun too. Big contract or not, that's only one part of his life.

 

I must have missed the memo where people who don't do drugs aren't any fun. It's only one part of his life, but he'd quickly find out it's an important part if he loses it.

 

 

 

but marijuana is a gateway drug.http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/roll.gif

 

 

what a joke

 

We have no idea what he tested positive for.

 

And all the "lighten up, it's just marijuana, man" people need to take your quarrels up with the US government. I don't think it's that draconian for baseball to test for illegal substances.

 

[homer]

People think he's a bad person or something now because he wasn't a total square and wanted to have a little bit of fun and experiment. You know, the things you're supposed to do when you're under 30? He's a baseball player, but he's a person first. And 19 year old kids are going to have fun too. Big contract or not, that's only one part of his life.

I don't think he's a bad person but he's not showing me very much in the intelligence department.

 

I think this is indicative of our culture. Not to go too far off tangent, but everyone wants everything and doesn't want to sacrifice anything to get it. You were drafted, you signed on the dotted line, make the sacrifice to give up weed or whatever. Not that hard, dude. If you want to smoke weed go to college. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/smile.gif

[HebrewHammer]

And all the "lighten up, it's just marijuana, man" people need to take your quarrels up with the US government. I don't think it's that draconian for baseball to test for illegal substances.

I have to disagree. It is draconian to test for things unrelated to baseball. As an athlete I'd say it's fair to test athletes for performance enhancing things. It changes the balance of competition and gives guys edges.

But testing for chemicals like THC is draconian, Big Brother body trespassing. I understand MLB is just going with the status quo here, but it doesn't make it right. It's a problem in society. Let the courts convict people breaking the law. It's not the position of private citizens or companies testing people for chemicals that are considered illegal by the US Government. But that's neither here nor there so I'm done with this.

 

 

 

[Team Canada]

And all the "lighten up, it's just marijuana, man" people need to take your quarrels up with the US government. I don't think it's that draconian for baseball to test for illegal substances.

I have to disagree. It is draconian to test for things unrelated to baseball. As an athlete I'd say it's fair to test athletes for performance enhancing things. It changes the balance of competition and gives guys edges.

But testing for chemicals like THC is draconian, Big Brother body trespassing.

 

 

Please convince me that marijuana didn't affect Ricky Williams' performance.

 

[NastyTwig]

Please convince me that marijuana didn't affect Ricky Williams' performance.

Ricky won a heisman and was the best running back in the NFL while still smoking weed. He didn't just start 3 years ago... Go through any interview ever with Ricky and you'll see that he's never liked football. He's only played cause he was good at it. The only reason he's trying to come back to the sport he hates is cause he owes money to a league that made millions off of him by slowly destroying his body.

 

Ron Dayne was constantly high for 4 years at Wisconsin.

 

Bill Walton smoked before most games. Hell, the NBA doesn't even test for it anymore.

 

Legalize it.

[Tbadder]

DOC ELLIS!