UIL: Small percentage of Texas athletes positive for steroids

The University Interscholastic League of Texas on Friday released the latest round of results of steroid use tests, reporting seven confirmed cases from among the 19,000 tests done from September through December. Ten more require more testing after athletes showed elevated testosterone levels. The UIL reported another 48 students classified as "protocol violations" for either refusing to provide a urine sample or having an unexcused absence the day they were selected. Texas has the largest high school program in the country, designed to test as many as 50,000 students by the end of the current school year. Since February 2008, the program's first round of tests -- 29,000 -- have produced just 11 confirmed results of steroid use. The small percentage of positive results has led some lawmakers to question the value of the $6 million program. Gov. Rick Perry has suggested it may need to be scaled back. The UIL program is conducted by the National Center for Drug Free sport, which randomly selects male and female athletes from all sports, although testing was tilted heavily toward football in the fall. According to the Associated Press, of the 18,817 tests in the latest round, 4,535 were football players. Females were tested most often in volleyball (1,089). A positive test brings a 30-day suspension from play for the first offense. The most common substance found in the seven positive tests were metabolites of boldenone, an anabolic steroid. It was found in four cases. All of the athletes testing positive were males. Five were identified as football players and one played football and also participated in track and field. The seventh played baseball and golf. The seven positive tests were for four juniors, two seniors and one sophomore. Six were in Class 5A, the highest division of competition, and the seventh was in Class 4A. Freshman and sophomores were tested most often, with 11,386 exams.