Smith was stopped April 21 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after his bag set off a screening device. A search found several vials of dried urine and "The Original Whizzinator," which is marketed as a way to beat drug tests.
Smith attempted to use the Austin Powers "It's not mine!" defense.
The Vikes are minus one RB this year. Do they have time to find a sub before the season begins?
Smith attempted to use the Austin Powers "It's not mine!" defense.
"One book, 'The Original Whizzinator and Me: This Sort Of Thing Is My Bag Baby', by Onterrio Smith" I guess Minnesota's going to have to have one of their other 4 halfbacks step up now. I mean, it hurts them, but it's not like they don't have other guys. The only other team as deeper than them at RB is Denver.
(edited by Blanket Jackson on 7.6.05 1518) "Did you get your Journalism degree from a box of Cocoa Puffs?"
The Whizzinator is not illegal from what I understand. It's not a public safety threat. How the hell did it get out that he had one if it was found by a baggage handler?
Shouldn't the contents of your bag be private? There seems to be some sort of liability here I don't understand.
Does being an employee of the NFL mean that you have no privacy rights anywhere?
Why did the baggage guy sell out Onterrio?
Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
Originally posted by StaggerLeeBTW, I was wondering the same, if it is not illegal to have, why did the security rat him out?
Article says things went as far as him being interviewed by police so I'm guessing whispers would have made their way to someone connected with the Viks pretty quickly after that. All it takes is a random Joe Bloggs to see him in the company of the local constabularly, he tips off a journalist, journalist phones Viks for comment. Would be pretty hard to keep it quiet really.
More importantly, there's actually something out there called the 'Original Whizzinator'! Who brands this shit?
PS: incidentally, my efforts to find out if there's a tag line for the aforementioned Whizzinator are scuppered here on account of the content of the site coming up as 'illegal or questionable'. Damn.
From the May 11 Article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by Kevin Seifert
Vikings running back Onterrio Smith was detained last month at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after police found paraphernalia later identified as a kit used to circumvent drug tests.
Smith was neither arrested nor charged, but as of Tuesday it was unclear whether the incident will affect his status in the NFL's confidential substance-abuse program.
Smith acknowledged to airport police that he was carrying dried urine, along with a device called "The Original Whizzinator" and a bottle of pills labeled "Cleansing Formula." He told police the kit was "for making a clean urine test," according to the police report, and said he was taking the materials to his cousin.
Smith was suspended four games last season after testing positive for marijuana, his second "strike" in the league's program. A third "strike" would result in a yearlong suspension. An attempt to substitute a urine specimen qualifies as a positive test, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello did not immediately know Tuesday whether possession of a masking device fits that criteria.
Smith could not be reached for comment. His agents - Michael Sullivan, Doug Hendrickson and Jeff Sperbeck - declined to comment. Vikings coach Mike Tice said he was unaware of the incident and had no comment.
According to the police report, a bag Smith was carrying set off security alarms before an April 21 flight. The alarms later were traced to a tube of toothpaste.
During the search, a Transportation Security Administration officer found "six or seven" vials of white powder in a clear bag, according to the report. Airport police were called to the scene and began inspecting the materials in a private room.
A sample from one of the vials tested negative for cocaine and opiates. Smith was then led into the room and identified the powder as dried urine. He also acknowledged the presence of a Whizzinator.
Smith was allowed to leave after questioning.
The $150 device includes a prosthetic penis attached to a jockstrap and plastic bag. Using a syringe, the user fills the bag with a precisely measured amount of water blended with the urine powder to create a clean sample. When the user takes a drug test in front of an observer, the water is released through the prosthetic with a valve (the instructions recommend the user cough to hide the sound of the valve unsnapping).
On its website, manufacturers of The Original Whizzinator market the instrument as an "undetectable," "foolproof" and "re-usable" urinating device.
Like other professional sports leagues, the NFL administers random drug tests to players.
According to Aiello, the NFL's testing guidelines include having the player take his shirt off and pull his pants down below his knees in front of an observer.
Smith, 24, was kicked off the University of Tennessee football team in 2000 for marijuana use and finished his college career at Oregon. Scouts considered him one of the top running backs available in the 2003 draft, but questions about his past drug use and character dropped him to the fourth round.
He rushed for 579 yards as a rookie and led the Vikings last season with 544 yards. Barring another suspension, Smith is expected to compete with Michael Bennett and Mewelde Moore for the starting job.
It would appear that the vials of white powder are what raised the eyebrows of security and the police. And like it was stated earlier, it caught the attention of the local journalists too.
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He didn't actually use the item, he just owned them. Is posession of such a device specifically listed in the NFL drug testing policy as a violation?
Even if it is listed, doesn't he have a right to privacy?
Maybe I'm missing something fundamental to the law here. Is testimony to police considered public knowledge at that point? I did not realize that your employer was privy to your conversations with the police.
Was he told of his right to remain silent before he was questioned about the paraphanelia? Considering that he basically lost his job because the police told other people (his employer) about his comments, I wonder if he should have been given a warning.
Smith is getting screwed here, even though he is an idiot.
Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
Didn't the NFL say that posession of the device wasn't enough to suspend him? I thought I read (weeks ago) that he actually skipped a test, which is an automatic failure.
Originally posted by The Above Article on May 19, 2005 Smith skipped a drug test, which qualifies as a violation under league policy, ESPN.com reported, citing two unidentified team sources. Missing a drug test is equivalent to a positive test, and Smith had already violated league policy twice and served a four-game suspension last season.
So the Whizzinator had nothing to do with his suspension (though it is questionable why it was reported). If he would have shown up (and passed) his drug test, he'd be playing this season.
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Big deal. Half the guys on this board are better than Ahmad Carroll. I don't begrudge the Pack spending money, but I'd much rather it be on a veteran who is more likely to be hooked up to the juvenation machine (i.e. Harrison going to the Pats)
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