Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 9, 1994 TAG: 9407090007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LONDON LENGTH: Medium
"There are certain people on the [PGA] Tour who do the crazy stuff," Daly was quoted as saying Friday in The Sun newspaper. "They're never going to get exposed unless they are found out by the police and put in jail."
Daly called for random drug-testing of golfers to catch offenders.
"I wish we could have drug testing on the Tour," he said. "If we did, I'd probably be one of the cleanest guys out there.
"Drugs, cocaine, some of the Golf roundup. B4 other crazy things . . . if you're going to test everybody, athletes in the NBA, football players for steroids and stuff, test the golfers. Let it come out.
"I think it's unfair a lot of this stuff has been hidden . . . If we did introduce tests, it would help the guys with problems, not hurt them. Plus a lot of guys would say, `No way I want to get caught, so I'll quit.' "
Daly spoke during the Scottish Open at Gleneagles, a warmup event for next week's British Open at Turnberry.
Later Friday, he toned down his comments slightly, saying, "I don't know of anybody who does drugs on the tour, but I have heard rumors. I don't know it, but I believe it."
Daly denied he ever used drugs.
"That's one thing my dad taught me: don't do anything illegal," he said. "Alcohol isn't."
Daly, the 1991 PGA champion, has spent time in rehabilitation clinics to treat his drinking problem.
"I never dabbled in drugs," he was quoted as saying. "I never had any interest. I was hurt when I went to rehab and people said John Daly was the only PGA player to do so. That's so out of whack. There are a lot of guys who have gone to rehab. People said I was the crazy one on the tour, but others were getting up to much crazier things than me."
Daly's remarks caused a stir among players and officials.
"John is fully entitled to express his view, but we would stress that we are not aware of any drug-related problem within the European Tour," Mike Stewart, tournament director at the Scottish Open, said.
Scottish player Gordon Brand Jr. scoffed at Daly's comments.
"It's a load of rubbish," he said. "A group of us have just been talking about it and don't know anybody who has used it."
Peter Jacobsen, a former member of the U.S. tour's policy board, said, "I've never heard the rumors, but maybe it is time to have drug-testing. Statistics prove there are guys on cocaine in all slices of life."
"While I was on the board, drug-testing was discussed, but we didn't introduce it because it was felt that if somebody had a problem they were probably not doing too well," Jacobsen said. "They are certainly not on leaderboards."
Roger Maltbie, now in his 20th year on the U.S. tour, was on the circuit's policy board during the mid-1980s when the panel adopted a substance-abuse policy that does not require testing. The policy allows the commissioner to "conduct such inquiries and investigations as shall be appropriate," including requiring urine tests and taking statements from witnesses.
The policy, which remains in effect, calls for a minimum fine of $1,000 and at least a two-year suspension for any member of the Tour who uses or sells illegal substances. It also gives the commissioner the power to specify treatment requirements for those found to be in violation.
Maltbie said he would be wary of mandatory testing.
"I think the game itself can weed that out," he said, "because I don't know how you can possibly play this game well under those kind of influences. I can't imagine how any kind of drug could be truly performance-enhancing in this game. So I don't feel any big need or any big concern for testing to be done."
As for allegations that players might be using drugs, Maltbie said: "I wouldn't even know how to respond to that. I wouldn't know what to look for."
Drug-testing would be nothing new for the younger players who went to college before joining the Tour.
"We got tested five times alone in my freshman year," said PGA Tour rookie Justin Leonard, the NCAA champion from Texas.
Leonard said he would not be opposed to testing.
Fellow PGA Tour rookie Glen Day said, "I think it's a great idea. If you're doing something that's illegal, you ought to get caught for it and you ought to get punished for it."
At the Masters in April, Mac O'Grady caused a storm by suggesting that "at least seven of the world's top 30" might be using beta-blockers to enhance their performance. No names were mentioned then, either.
"I don't know if a lot of guys are using beta-blockers but you hear rumors," Daly was quoted as saying. "I wouldn't say the top 25 or 30 are on them because they wouldn't be doing so well."
As for his drinking problem, Daly said:
"I don't think you ever beat an addiction like the one I had. You just take it day to day . . . The craving's there all the time but I've been doing real well."
by CNB