NCAA Updates Rule on Supplement Education

INDIANAPOLISAs of Aug. 1, all Division I schools will be required to designate a staff member to answer questions about banned substances and dietary supplements, according to an AP report. A section of the NCAA Constitution related to the organization's mandatory drug-testing program and consent form was amended to require the designation of such a staff member(s), and further requests all staffers in regular communication with athletes help educate those athletes about the list of NCAA banned substances and that use of dietary supplements may present risks to a student-athletes health and eligibility."

The rationale for the amendment explained some athletes who tested positive for a banned substance stated an athletics department staff member approved their use of a supplement or medication that contained NCAA banned substances. While NCAA already holds athletes responsible for ingesting anything that may contain a banned substance, and that institutions educate their athletes about banned substances, Division I schools must identify a specific person to serve as an educated resource on the issue, and educate all staffers on the topic. Failure to follow the policy would result in an institutional violation.

NCAA has been paying close attention to the area of dietary supplements and banned substances since the late 1990s, and in 2005 issued a notice about its nutritional supplement provision. In this notice, NCAA stated many supplement products contain NCAA-banned substances that are not always recognized as such or included in the supplement labels." Further, NCAA included a list of impermissible supplement ingredients, including creatine, protein powders, Tribulus terrestris, ginseng and several others.

Mike Greene, vice president, government relations, with the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), commented to INSIDER on the new requirements: It is key that athletes understand the rules set by the governing bodies of their sports, including what products, legal or otherwise, could cause them to be banned from their sport. Having a person at the university who can do this on a one-one-one basis is important. It would be even more helpful if that person were someone, like an R.D., who is qualified to understand what supplements might be useful for each individual. We maintain that it does a disservice to paint all dietary supplements with a broad brush as there are supplement products that are very important especially for athletes, and there are many responsible companies that make these products. We hope that well get to a point where all sports organizations will feel comfortable separating the responsible industry from the small fraction of companies that put players at risk.