3. Steve Howe, Baseball

Steve Howe

Howe was a first round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1979 draft out of the University of Michigan. He debuted in the majors in 1980 at the age of 22 and would proceed to win the National League Rookie of the Year award (this award seemed cursed during the early 80’s). The following year, Howe would help the Dodgers win the World Series. Howe’s promising career, however, would soon be wrecked by cocaine and alcohol abuse. He would be suspended from baseball seven times in total.

The problems began to surface in 1983 when Howe checked himself into a substance abuse clinic. A relapse resulted in Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspending him for the 1984 season. Howe was out of the majors again in 1986, and Texas released him before for the 1988 season for a reported alcohol problem. Howe did not return to the majors until 1991, and during the 1992 season, he became the first baseball player to be banned for life because of drugs. An arbitrator later reinstated him after the season, after which he pitched a few more years for the New York Yankees.

Howe pitched for 12 seasons in the major leagues over the course of 17 years, posting a 47-41 record and 91 saves in 606 innings pitched. He appeared in 497 games, struck out 328 batters and finished with a career 3.03 ERA. In 2006, Howe was killed when his truck rolled over. Toxicology reports indicated he had methamphetamine in his system, but the exact amount is unknown.

2. Diego Maradona, Soccer

Diego Maradona

Arguably the most famous non-performance enhancing drug case in sports due to soccer’s worldwide appeal. Despite his drug problems, Maradona is still regarded by many as the greatest soccer player of all time. Most experts would choose either Maradona or Pelé. Maradona played for various clubs in his career, including Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, Sevilla, and SSC Napoli. He also represented Argentina in a number of international games, including leading Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup. He also captured the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

Still, despite his considered success, Maradona has had several drug problems. A long running addiction to cocaine affected his play starting in the late 1980s, eventually leading to a fifteen month suspension in 1991 for testing positive for the drug. It also led to him changing teams. At the 1994 World Cup, he was sent home after failing drug tests, reportedly for ephedrine. And he would retire in 1997 at age of 37 after failing yet another drug test. In 2000 he collapsed of heart problems, and collapsed again in 2004 before kicking his cocaine habit. All told, Maradona was a fabulous player, but one who could have been even better without the drug issues.  His international success helps obscure some failures at the club level. Nearly half his career was affected by drug use, and for a player that fantastic, any time he wasn’t 100% was a shame for soccer and its fans.

1. Len Bias, Basketball

Len Bias

During the 1985-1986 season, Bias was an All-American for the University of Maryland, where his all around athleticism combined with his basketball skills prompted many to compare him to Michael Jordan. Comparisons with Jordan may have seemed optimistic, but remember that Jordan was only at the beginning of his pro career at that time. Nevertheless, Bias had made a similar impression on the fans, writers, and coaches of the ACC, playing only a few years behind Jordan in the same conference.

After his successful collegiate career, Bias was selected by the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. He was the second overall pick in the 1986 draft behind North Carolina’s Brad Daugherty (Note that Bias won the ACC player of the year over Daugherty). Tragedy would strike less than 48 hours after the draft, as Bias would die as a result of a cocaine overdose. Bias would never play a game in the NBA, leaving many to wonder what would have been by combining his great talents with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and the other Celtic greats of that era. Would Bias have been an all-time great like Jordan?

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