Jeffress Suspended for drug use - new info?

[homer]

TBadder,

I can see your point through the sarcasm, but unlike say, a drill press operator, a baseball player is looked up to as a role model by kids. As such, parents spend lots of money on tickets and garb. Also, these same parents buy products sold by the major corporate sponsors of baseball teams. It is in the best financial interest of MLB to ensure that they at least give the appearance of caring about drug use so these parents aren't turned off and stop spending their money.

[colbyjack]

So I knew plenty of 22-year olds who could figure it out, hopefully Jeremy can as well.

 

This comment stood out to me, because Lord knows I did a lot of stupid things when I was 18-22, and I bring it up because it is yet another blemish on drafting high school players vs. college ones. All in theory of course, and there are plenty of good high school players that "get it," but my personal opinion is that a college player has a better understanding of the discipline needed to be a professional baseball player, and just being a few years older they are likely to be a little more mature as well. They know from experience how to juggle their academic, athletic and personal lives, and that kind of college lifestyle instills the natural discipline and common sense (again in theory) for them to succeed at the next level.

 

So, aside from the injury nexus we now have the drug nexus http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

I really hope the light goes on in Jeffress' head, as he clearly does not get it right now, but he's just too talented to allow his career to go to waste. And who knows, as someone else suggested, maybe smoking pot is more important to him at this point in time that a potential baseball career. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers handle this second violation since it doesn't fall under the MLB's rules and regulations (meaning, no additional automatic suspension).

[Tbadder]

Thanks Homer. I'm really frustrated by this agrument on all sides. I'm frustrated at fans, at teams, at players, etc. I've always supported Barkley's contention that athletes are not role models. I really wish that parents would hold up good people, people who sacrifice for others, everyday people who do thankless jobs for our benefit as role models, but alas we are bamboozled by celebrities.

 

But I do take the issue seriously, and my suggestions for resitution of bonuses and contract minimums, while providing help is a sane and workable solution. But moralizing on the evils of drugs or the stupidity of youth is just tiresome and ultimately counterproductive.

 

Sorry my sarcasm got out of control.

 

I just can't stand the contradiction though. We idolize a drunk like Mantle and demonize a kid like Jeffress.

 

Oops here I go again.

[Katuluu]

Filthy, THC metabolites stay in the body for ~30 days, but their are plenty of things that can speed up or slow down the process. THC metabolites are fat soluble, so body weight can factor in, as can exercise, fluid intake, and how often you smoke. A person who smokes once a month with low body fat and who exercises and drinks lots of water can clear their system of metabolites in as little as three days. Being that Jeffress is thin, and you can generally assume he's on an off-season workout program and must replenish his fluids pretty often, it's highly unlikely that the metabolites from his first test still remain in his system.

[MJLiverock]

I would like to point out that a lot of 20 year olds don't smoke pot or weed or do drugs. Those people who talk about doing it on this board are in the vast minority! You would be surprised if you took a poll and found out how many 20 year olds have never smoked weed. Perhaps, not in your circle of friends, but in mine, smoking pot is considered illegal and not a wise choice. Smoking anything is not a wise decision and many young people are realizing that.

 

As for Jefferess, while I could care less about how many days he is suspended, I am curious if this latest incident will count as a second stirke, or if because this was at the AFL, and that's between the minors and majors, it's considered as a freebee. and perhaps if it was a freebee, jeffries probably knew it and thus his actions.

 

I promiss when he makes the majors, I'll learn how to spell his name correctly.

 

This is from White House Drug Policy Initiative http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/index.html

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 97.5 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, representing 40.1% of the U.S. population in that age group. The number of past year marijuana users in 2005 was approximately 25.4 million (10.4% of the population aged 12 or older) and the number of past month marijuana users was 14.6 million (6.0%).²

Among 12-17 year olds surveyed as part of the 2005 NSDUH, 6.8% reported past month marijuana use. Additional NSDUH results indicate that 16.6% of 18-25 year olds and 4.1% of those aged 26 or older reported past month use of marijuana.

 

 

Results of the 2006 Monitoring the Future survey indicate that 15.7% of eighth graders, 31.8% of tenth graders, and 42.3% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of marijuana. In 2005, these percentages were 16.5%, 34.1%, and 44.8%, respectively.⁶

Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, 2005-2006

	8th Grade		10th Grade		12th Grade
	2005	2006	2005	2006	2005	2006
Past month	6.6	6.5	15.2	14.2	19.8	18.3
Past year	12.2	11.7	26.6	25.2	33.6	31.5
Lifetime	16.5	15.7	34.1	31.8	44.8	42.3

Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, 2001-2005

	2001	2003	2005
Current use	23.9%	22.4%	20.2%
Lifetime use	42.4	40.2	38.4

Approximately 49.1% of college students and 57.0% of young adults (ages 19-28) surveyed in 2005 reported lifetime use of marijuana.⁹

Percent of College Students/Young Adults Using Marijuana, 2004-2005

	College Students		Young Adults
	2004	2005	2004	2005
Past month	18.9%	17.1%	16.5%	15.8%
Past year	33.3	33.3	29.2	28.2
Lifetime	49.1	49.1	57.4	57.0

This doesn't make Jeffress any smarter for potentially blowing a very lucrative career but it points out that pot smoking is fairly common for young adults. Almost 20% have smoked in last month (these numbers are only the ones who admit it) And anywhere from 40% to 57% of 18-28 year olds have tried it at some point. I still know plenty of stoner teachers, lawyers, business proefessionals, etc. but they don't get tested on a regular basis. Jeffress knew he was going to be tested and was still dumb enough to do it or not smart enough to outwit they test. I had friends that played major D1 football and they could beat the NCAA tests for pot everytime. I am sure plenty of NFL guys have figured ways around it. Jeffress must think, "hey my signing bonus is enough, no reason to work hard and lay of the weed." I guess I don't care about pot smokers but it just frustrates me so much that this kid is willing to blow an amazing future.

[Big Reed]

MJ Liverock, you mentioned something that's probably not well known, but probably a big part of the drug problem in sports today. Most athletes think they can beat the test for pot everytime. So they tell their friends how they beat the tests. And unfortunately, their friends are not as lucky as they were because the tests are becoming more accurate.

 

When looking at those stats, the lifetime stats are alarming, but it doesn't say how many times the person smoked. it could have only been once. Additionally, when one looks at a survey and it's percentage, one must also look at the sample size and demographics of the sample. Clicking on the web site of Monitoring the future it says 50,000 students were surveyed on an annual basis.The US national Survey indicated they screened 150,000 potential people and had a reply of 68,000. That's less than half who responded to their survey questionaire which is very typical. To me, both of those are very small sample sizes to derive a definitive conclusion.

 

and like several posters mentioned , yes they did do drugs at one time in their life, but when their job was on the line, they had a decision to make, and made it.

[mothershipconnection]

No, people should be released from their jobs for not doing their jobs well. If a person can handle it, and it's not hurting others, what they do on they're free time is they're business. But we love the pre-emptive strike nowadays. I happen to think a guy like Jeremy will sink himself thru habitual use, but he might also hit 512 home runs or win 125 games before it happens. It is his life.

 

The problem for many of us isn't that he smoked pot. Honestly, I absolutely don't care. MLB doesn't test and players obviously are going to smoke pot. The problem here is that this is a guy who KNEW he'd be tested and just didn't care.

 

There's nothing wrong (IMO) or illegal about adults drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, but if you have a job that could easily catch you doing it and told you that it'd be severely punished, you'd be an idiot to keep doing it. It wouldn't be the consumption itself that's stupid - it's the consumption when you've been explicitly prohibited from using it and knew that you would be severely punished. Plus, when you already contacted the consequences once, and went right back, that's something you'd expect out of a real winner. Unlike cigarettes and alcohol, pot is either not addictive or very mildly addictive (depending on your school of thought). This isn't like a guy with a real chemical problem who just needs a lot of help quitting, because Jeffress isn't addicted, just foolish.

 

 

this past month, less than 20% of young adults and teens used marijuana. I'd say that's the vast minority.

 

I lied on those surveys EVERY time.

[dadofandrew]

MS, I'm sure people lie both ways. About 10% of retail drug tests end up positive, and they said usually only about half of the users would show up, which makes sense. 20% sounds accurate.

[homer]

You would be surprised if you took a poll and found out how many 20 year olds have never smoked weed.

I'm surprised at how many have. Around 40% - that's not a huge minority.

[pogokat]

we talking jeffress here? or just weed?

 

im fine with a topic on weed, but some of this is way off topic

[LouisEly]

Whomever compared him to Dwight Gooden when they drafted him had no idea how accurate they were.

 

As for the college players are more mature thing, I've smoked pot about a dozen times in my life... all during college. Never before, never after (both for the same reason - too much to lose; besides, it never did anything for me). So had I skipped college I probably would have never done it in my life.

[Big Reed]

the basic facts are he knew after the first time he was caught, he would be subjected to testing on a regular basis. and he goes and gets caught again.

 

This leads me to believe he is either rather pretty stupid, or believes because he is a #1 draft choice with a ton of talent that everybody will just bow down to him and look the other way. I don't know him personnally. Can somebody enlighten me as to which is closer to the truth? is he just dumb? or does he feel because of his talent he has a free pass to do anything he pleases?

[Fatter than Joey]

I've seen a lot of Cops, and I have never seen any "great minds" get arrested. Must be missing those.

 

Well -- Generally speaking, the slower gazelles get eaten by the lions. If you are using COPS to keep your finger on the pulse of what smarter people are doing, you may want to rethink that.

 

I wonder if I can call him an idiot now, without being reprimanded by the self-appointed board police.

What a blissfully unaware fool.

 

Sometimes people have a hard-time with adjusting a behavior that they think is acceptable, but a community has reprimanded them for -- it's a bit of human nature.

 

Doug Melvin said, "The Milwaukee Brewers support Major League Baseball's drug program and its decision to suspend Jeremy Jeffress. The organization takes these matters very seriously and we are in the process of formulating a plan in hopes that Jeremy can redeem himself. Jeremy will be provided every opportunity to get his career back on track through the Brewers' Employee Assistance Program."

 

The part that bothers me, is that the Brewers don't seem to be doing a good job protecting their investment. I hope this Program works better than the last one.

[PlayerHader]

Jeffress needs to invest in a whizzinator.

[SoCalBrewfan]

If you are using COPS to keep your finger on the pulse of what smarter people are doing, you may want to rethink that.

 

Personally I have formulated most of my opinions about human behavior from television programs. I learned alot about relationships from an episode of a show hosted by a fella named Jeremy Springer or something taht I saw a few years ago. Also I've got a new idea for drug policy I picked up from a COPS episode filmed in Las Vegas. And if you're interested I have an essay on the emptiness of consumer culture that is drawn entirely from examples from The Price is Right. I titled that one, The Price is Oh So Wrong And Too Much To Pay.

 

Sometimes people have a hard-time with adjusting a behavior that they think is acceptable, but a community has reprimanded them for -- it's a bit of human nature.

 

I'm sure Jeffress will learn from his mis...wait. Wait. You sneaky devil! FtJ FtW.

 

everybody will just bow down to him and look the other way.

 

If you bow far enough you're looking straight down, but bowing and looking the other way sounds very uncomfortable.

[sheethead]

Its only a matter of time before the dude is soliciting bathroom stalls in exchange for just one more rock. Hopefully he gets a couple big league seasons in first - i doubt it though. It is a waste, but its his life and can do whatever he wants with it. Maybe he will end up having to go to college to get a crappy, ordinary job one day (here's looking at you, 404)... I assume then he will regret his decisions, big time! If only I could have thrown a 99mph fastball, I would have never smoked the reefer. Well, maybe once or twice in high school, but still...

[And That]

You have it backwards - he has a 99 MPH fastball BECAUSE he smokes the reefer. You couldda been a star!

[sheethead]

Or is it the reefer makes the fastball look like its going 99mph? Now i'm confused. Either way i missed my calling.

[Fatter than Joey]

Its only a matter of time before the dude is soliciting bathroom stalls in exchange for just one more rock.

 

Yeah -- It's a steep slope down once you start smoking the reefer. You forget though the part where he puts his girlfriend's baby in the oven after smoking the reefer, and getting the munchies.

 

If only I could have thrown a 99mph fastball, I would have never smoked the reefer.

 

I take this to mean that you cannot throw a 99mph fastball -- therefore you are smoking the reefer.

 

There is nothing keeping you from stopping smoking the reefer.

 

Maybe he will end up having to go to college to get a crappy, ordinary job one day

 

Hopefully -- because crappy jobs are the number one deterrent to smoking the reefer.

[brettac1]

Doesn't he know how many different kits and stuff there are that can help you pass these things? Get the man some cranberry juice and whatever else has a lot of Niacin in it!

[Fatter than Joey]

Doesn't he know how many different kits and stuff there are that can help you pass these things?

 

Kits and passing things are impossible to do when you are smoking the reefer.

[And That]

This is all going to come to a head when he gets caught doctering up a ball with the roach clip he had stuffed up his sleeve.

[sheethead]

Yeah -- It's a steep slope down once you start smoking the reefer. You forget though the part where he puts his girlfriend's baby in the oven after smoking the reefer, and getting the munchies.

 

Not sure if this was meant to be funny, but it got me laughing. Never thought baby would make good munchie food. The gateway drug doesn't lead everyone to the triple-diamond slope, but he could grow long natural dreds, quit playing his sport, and register for wholistic medicinal classes - that's more of a blue-square, Earth-loving slope.

 

I take this to mean that you cannot throw a 99mph fastball -- therefore you are smoking the reefer.

 

I did say "...would have never..." - the reefer's presence around me is very rare, which is a good thing.

 

Hopefully -- because crappy jobs are the number one deterrent to smoking the reefer.

 

Ehh.. sometimes my crappy job makes me long for the reefer when i get home at night. I'd say the #1 deterrent would be children, then responsibility (which usually come in succession). Therefore, JJ should try having a couple of those.

[sheethead]

All he needs to do to pass is: 1) smoke less often, 2) hydrate with lots of water more often. He can get the traces down to passable levels by doing this. If he smokes 3x per day, then he will need a kit. But kits take time to work, so if he goes to work high he will never be able to pass. Going to work high is not good, but I do know that Glen Robinson actually played high. So if JJ is a real big stoner, then he is most certainly going to work high.

[dadofandrew]

No one is passing every test by the various "help" methods. You might fool it once, but not regularly.