NFL, UNION WORKING ON SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

NEW YORK (AP) - The NFL and its union are trying to find a single source of
dietary supplements so players know exactly what they're taking. ''We want
someone to certify that what's in the bottle is what's in the bottle,''
Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, said Tuesday.

''If we do that and a player tests positive, he didn't take our stuff.''

Upshaw spoke informally Tuesday with Harold Henderson, the NFL's vice
president for player relations. He said they agreed to meet later to
discuss the issue. The potential new policy, Upshaw said, has nothing to do
with the case of Carolina Panthers rookie Julius Peppers, who leads the NFL
in sacks. Peppers' agent, Marvin Demoff, said the league told him his
client tested positive for a banned substance in a dietary supplement.

The NFL has yet to confirm Peppers' suspension.

Upshaw said a better analogy would be the case of Kansas City linebacker
Lew Bush, suspended for four games two weeks ago for taking a banned
substance. Upshaw said Bush took the same supplement twice - the first time
it did not contain any of the substances on the NFL's illegal list; the
second time it did, and that's when he tested positive.

''It's not fair to kick a guy out and have him lose a quarter of his salary
when he did something that was inadvertent,'' Upshaw said.

Last summer, the NFL banned ephedrine, a stimulant often found in food
supplements, after determining it can cause seizures, strokes or even
death. The ban, in part, stemmed from the heat stroke death of Minnesota
offensive lineman Korey Stringer in training camp in the summer of 2001. An
amphetaminelike stimulant, ephedrine is sold in a few over-the-counter
asthma medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

A first positive test carries an automatic four-game suspension, a stronger
penalty than testing positive for illegal drugs, such as cocaine or
marijuana. A player who tests positive once for those substances goes into
the league's drug program and can be randomly tested, but isn't subject to
discipline until the second violation.

''It seems a little strange to have more tolerance for illegal drugs,''
Upshaw said.

The ban on ephedrine comes under the steroid policy, which is zero tolerance.

Upshaw said he has no problem with a ''no tolerance'' ban for players using
steroids because they give players a competitive advantage.

But he said because some banned stimulants are found in everything from
cold medicine to supplements, ''It makes things less clear.'' He noted
trainers and doctors can give players medicines that wouldn't contain
substances on the NFL banned list.

Upshaw said he and Henderson would meet again with other officials,
including Dr. John Lombardo, the league's chief adviser on steroids.

He said the main aim would be to find a single company to provide dietary
supplements that would be without substances on the NFL's banned list.

''If we can do that, then players will know what they're taking,'' he said.
''Everything they get will be certified to be clean.