Over the past decade, Canadian anti-doping programs have continued to implement extensive testing procedures for university athletics, in order to dissuade student athletes from competing using banned substances. For one Carleton student, this practice reveals pressures that extend far beyond the field of sports.
Ravens defensive back Daniel McNicoll has been suspended for two years after traces of Adderall were found in a urine sample taken on Oct. 1, 2016. Upon conducting the investigation, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport determined the reason McNicoll ingested the drug was to help study for upcoming first-semester midterms. Some people will call this a violation of academic integrity, as the drug was used by McNicoll to improve his cognitive focus in class—and perhaps rightfully so. However, many critics stating this likely have no idea what it can be like to deal with stress and the responsibilities of a student athlete. Doping may have been McNicoll’s decision, and he should live with the consequences of that. But the conditions that led to doping point to pressures in athletics and academics that extend beyond his control.
Trying to manage the strenuous schedule of being a university student as well as a competitive athlete can be a daunting task for anyone to pursue. Imagine being a fourth-year civil engineering student while also combining the physically demanding expectations of varsity football. Between classes going from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. most days, to having early morning workouts, practices and film sessions scattered throughout, study time —not to mention, leisure time—can be a rare luxury for a player of his circumstance.
Academics should be the top priority for any student athlete, but it should never reach a point where the thought of committing academic dishonesty to stay ahead becomes more important than maintaining one’s integrity. Even considering McNicoll’s predicament, this problem never should have happened in the first place. One of the first lessons an athlete is always taught is that sacrifices are key to making it to the next level. This applies both to the athlete, the average person, and to the real world outside of university. McNicoll was given a condition that permitted him from doing certain actions during the course of a season. It was a responsibility he took on once he made an obligation to be both a football player, and a student. But it was his to sacrifice everything he had done on the field, rather than forgo his grades, that became the foundation of his downfall.
Despite the fact that McNicoll used the drug for the sole purpose of studying, studies have shown that Adderall can also provide physical and psychological benefits that can enhance the performance of an athlete. According to a report from Dr. Gary Wadler, a former member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Adderall has been found to contain chemicals that can offer benefits to athletes such as increasing their tolerance for pain, strengthening their hand-eye co-ordination, and improving reaction time and conditioning—side effects that are most commonly found in the majority of performance enhancing drugs. For that reason, I consider the suspension a fair punishment for McNicoll’s actions, even if his intentions were primarily academically-based.
Call it a lapse in judgement, or unfortunate timing if you will. What cannot be excused is that McNicoll had a choice—a choice of taking the easy path by using a banned drug, or to take the path of greater resistance and avoid risking his athletic career. In the end, it was a gamble that turned into a harsh reality check—one that McNicoll, if he could, would likely do anything to erase from his legacy as a Carleton Raven, but one that points towards the immense expectations student athletes find themselves under.
