Three men charged following police investigation

Written by Sarah Dunstan

Last Friday, University of Waterloo football player Nathan Zettler was charged with the possession of steroids for the purpose of trafficking. Relating to the matter, two other current and former Warriors players were also charged with other offences.

Waterloo Regional Police found thousands of pills and vials of antibiotic steroids, including nandrolone, trenbolone, stanozolol, testosterone and tamoxifen – not a steroid, but a breast cancer drug used in collaboration with steroids to reduce water retention.

Zettler, 23, is no stranger to criminal deviance. He was arrested in late March and faces numerous criminal charges, including possession of stolen property, use of a stolen credit card, breach of a probation order, and five counts of breaking and entering.

Additionally, teammate Matthew Valeriote was charged with breaking and entering and possession of stolen property. Valeriote has also been suspended from the Warriors football team for the time being. The third arrested individual was former Warrior Eric Legare.

Shortly after the investigation began, the Warriors made CIS history by engaging in the first team-wide testing for narcotics. The football team consists of approximately 70 people, and the hefty $20,000 price tag – which will be divided between the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the university – reflects the scale of the anti-doping investigation. Though the results are not expected back until May, the University of Waterloo has assured the press that any failed test results will be made known to the public.

Fearful that Zettler may have been providing narcotics to other Ontario schools, the CCES conducted random drug tests on athletes hailing from the University of Guelph, McMaster, Western Ontario, and Wilfrid Laurier. CCES officials were on campus testing Guelph athletes the day after the Waterloo story hit the press.

Since the implementation of the CIS doping control program in 1990, there have been 56 narcotic infractions from over 5,800 drug tests. Although the testing is done randomly, football and hockey are often the two most targeted sports, which isn’t surprising considering that of the 56 positive tests, 54 were male, and 45 were football players. Steroids account for the most drug infractions, with 24 positive test results; marijuana has provided 15 positive returns.

Along with giving players an unfair advantage, steroid use can lead to irrevocable health problems, including high blood pressure, liver and kidney damage. The CIS has a zero-tolerance policy on doping infractions; Zettler was banned from the University of Waterloo campus and suspended from the football team before any charges were even laid against him. Any positive drug test can result in up to a four-year suspension from the CIS.

While the drugs may have been seized and the guilty party behind bars, a lingering air of disappointment can’t help but plague the varsity community at Guelph.

“This is an isolated incident,” said director of athletics Tom Kendall.  “And it is not reflective of what’s happening generally.”

Confident that Guelph athletes do not take performance enhancing drugs, the appearance of CCES drug testing authorities on campus was not met with surprise or animosity from Guelph players or staff.

“When something like that happens in the geographic area, it’s natural to come out and test,” said Kendall. “From our standpoint, it’s good to test, to remove any doubt that any of our players are involved.”

Despite the small number of positive drug test results, precautions are still taken to ensure compliance with CIS anti-doping policies.

“Every year, our athletes have to take an online awareness course about doping and drug testing,” said Kendall. “It’s an excellent program.”

The course Kendall is referring to is a compulsory program for all CIS athletes that resulted from revisions to the CIS Eligibility Registration and Doping Control Data Requirements in 2007. All athletes must register when taking the course, so that the university will receive a record upon its successful completion.

Although the Ontario University Athletics football league has undeniably been shaken by the events in Waterloo, the general consensus seems to be that university football will eventually carry on.

“It doesn’t reflect well, but the fact of the matter is that 95 per cent of athletes in football are clean and [have] not been involved with steroids or performance-enhancing drugs,” said Kendall. “From our perspective, it’s a warning to everybody.”

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