32
told me would help my shoulder. They did not. The only thing that
helped me was DMSO. Without this drug I would not be playing
today.
Some of the guys on our team would not step forward to talk
about the drug basically because the front office and management
frown upon you doing anything they don't want you to do. Any
time you mention drugs and the NFL, immediately-in fact, I
might get a telegram from Pete Rozelle today on this thing. But I
believe in this drug.
We had a guy, a running back, and I will just cite this one more
example because I know the testimony is getting long, but we had
a running back, the first game he finally had become a starter. His
name was Haskel Stanback. He sprained his ankle. He worked
hard and was named a starting tailback for the 1978 season. We
went into the Houston Oiler game and in the third quarter he
chipped a bone and tore ligaments in his ankle. They diagnosed a
bone chip and torn ligaments. He was going to be in a cast for 6
weeks. He was put on injured reserve.
If anybody knows anything about a cast on your ankle, it will
take another 4 to 5 weeks before your leg is really well again. So in
other words, he is really going to be done for the season.
They told him to take his gear home. He was heartbroken be-
cause here is his chance, his opportunity, to play. I said, take this
stuff home and put it on all night. I said, wake up every hour and
put it on. He did that all night. He came in Monday with no
swelling in his ankle. The doctors could not believe it. They went to
X-ray it again. The bone chip was still there. They still contend
that there was damage done.
We had Tuesday off. They said, we will wait until Wednesday to
see what happens. Haskel put this on Monday and Tuesday and
came back Wednesday and was walking. He played the next
Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
Availability in our business is the most important thing to an
athlete. If you get hurt in training camp, your income, your life-
time, everything that sustains your income can be yanked out from
underneath you just by an injury.
This drug is not by any means-and I think probably the word
miracle drug has hurt it—but I will tell you what it does do. It
enhances and increases the time to getting you back to work after
an injury. Not only do athletes sprain ankles and hurt shoulders
and ankles, but people fall down stairs, sprain their ankles, but
they don't know anything about this drug. That is a crime.
I think it is up to this committee and to all of us to see to it that
whatever has held up this drug, the bureaucracy or whatever it is,
it is a great injustice to the American people. Thank you.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. That is a very graphic
and vivid statement that you have given us.
Now, then, I suggest that we question the four witnesses who
have just testified, Dr. Jacob, Dr. Scherbel, and Mr. Reedy and Mr.
Jones. I will start with Mr. Ford.
Mr. FORD. Would it be possible for members of the committee to
maybe get a bottle of DMSO and check out this smell? I am having
a cup of coffee, but I would still like to know what the smell is like.
The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Lloyd.
