INQUISITR.COM / Sports

George Karl Boldly Claims The NBA Has A PED Problem

By Ernest Shepard
Published on: 14:17 PST, Dec 26, 2016

George Karl insists on being the lightning rod to controversy these days. George Karl is suggesting that several NBA players are using PED’s, or performance enhancing drugs. Karl’s latest claim is a bombshell that could damage the NBA, or at least how some people view the league.

George Karl was a former NBA head coach who most recently coached the Sacramento Kings. He is promoting his book entitled Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs and Poor Shot selection. In it, Karl makes an attempt to reveal some of the NBA’s dirtiest secrets and failings. George Karl already had created a stir with his opinions on some of the NBA stars he has coached.

One of those stars George Karl dished some controversial opinions on is retired power forward Kenyon Martin. Martin disclosed with The Undefeated that Karl’s comments put him in a foul mood.

George Karl mentions that Kenyon Martin not having a father in his life played a role in his maturation process. Martin was not pleased.

“We were going to Disney and Al Harrington texted me a little snippet. I hadn’t seen anything until then. I was putting some gas in the truck. I didn’t get a chance to read it all, but just that part alone, I don’t need to read the rest of it. Who are you to talk about that?”

After angering Kenyon Martin, among several NBA stars, George Karl might draw the ire of the NBA.

An additional George Karl mic drop was revealed by NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman. His bold claim is that PED use is alive and well in the NBA. And this is despite the NBA having an extensive drug program.

“We’ve got a more thorough drug-testing program than the NFL or MLB, which we always brag about. But we’ve still got a drug issue, though a different one than thirty years ago. And this one bothers me more than the dumba**** who got in trouble with recreational drugs.”

George Karl makes a point to mention the drug issue which plagued the NBA in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, the drug problem was cocaine use. Cocaine use nearly crippled the NBA in the 80s, with the saving grace being the emergence of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and Isaiah Thomas.

George Karl goes in further explanation what he believes the NBA is dealing with.

“I’m talking about performance-enhancing drugs—like steroids, human growth hormone, and so on. It’s obvious some of our players are doping. How are some guys getting older—yet thinner and fitter? How are they recovering from injuries so fast? Why the hell are they going to Germany in the off-season? I doubt it’s for the sauerkraut.”

George Karl’s claims of NBA players using performance enhancing drugs comes at an interesting time.

Good feelings have gone across the NBA with the collective bargaining agreement getting ratified by the players (courtesy of NBA). It is easy to assume that an updated PED policy has been included in the new CBA. Things are starting to look upwards for the NBA.

This is the opposite of what took place in the 70s and 80s, when the NBA needed some significant enforcement on drug usage. There did not appear to be any problems with several players getting caught. Now a dark cloud and suspicious eyes could cast heavily with George Karl’s bold claims.

None of George Karl’s statements can be proven without the help of a former NBA player or coach putting their names and reputations on the line and back him up. Nothing else can substantiate Karl’s claims.

Chances are slim that anyone will come to George Karl’s aide publicly. Karl is a highly-respected NBA coach. And as a member of the famed University of North Carolina alumni, there will be several supporters. Many of them are in good standing with the NBA. And they will want to stay in good standing with the league.

Being aligned with George Karl might send a message that the NBA does have a PED problem. After nearly losing fans decades ago with the cocaine that ran rampant, this is the last thing the NBA wants — an angry former coach.

[Featured Image by Rob Carr/Getty Images]

Share this article: George Karl Boldly Claims The NBA Has A PED Problem
Sports NBA
More from Inquisitr