
Originally Posted by
Ravens2006
And if someday it comes out and is proven that Ray Lewis bucked the system and enhanced his body outside of the regulations... his legacy will be TAINTED, locally to some extent (homer-ism will blunt some of the outrage) and nationally to a HUGE extent. Nobody outside of the Baltimore metro area will want to put his name in the "greatest LB of all-time" discussion anymore, because his achievements will have been tarnished. Which is EXACTLY the basic point that Harbaugh was making the other day. Just like guys like Bonds and McGwire are not celebrated by MLB. It's why U.S. and Canadian hockey fans resented the "greatness" of Russian hockey decades ago... because their players were the equivalent of North American professionals, just playing under the guise of amateur status.
Personally, I think it's an even more egregious violation when MANAGEMENT is actively involved in such conduct. On the 0-to-10 scale of disappointment, when an athlete does wrong, that's a 9 or a 10. To me, when a coach or some staff member engages in it, you hit 15 pretty quickly. You have to hold management to a higher standard.