Derrick Rose Denies Saying NBA Has PED Problem

In the 1-10 section of the new ESPN The Magazine, Derrick Rose is quoted as saying the seriousness of the NBA’s steroid problem—on a scale of 1-10—is at a seven. He claims it was a misquote, though. Via the Chicago Tribune: “Derrick Rose denied through a team spokesperson that he made claims the NBA has an issue with performance enhancing drugs. Later, Rose issued a statement: ‘Regarding the quote attributed to me in ESPN The Magazine, I do not recall making the statement nor do I recall the question being asked. If that was my response to any question, I clearly misunderstood what was asked of me. But, let me be clear, I do not believe there is a performance enhancing drug problem in the NBA.’ The story emerged after Bulls players were available at Sunday morning’s shootaround. ESPN The Magazine took a survey of PED use in various sports for its May 16 issue. In it, Rose is quoted as allegedly saying this when asked to rank the problem on a scale of 1-10: ‘Seven. It’s huge and I think we need a level playing field, where nobody has that advantage over the next person.’ Though the issue has been out for over a week, it is just entering mainstream media. The story likely will have a short shelf life after Rose denied the comment. One person close to Rose said the question was posed to him as ‘How big of a problem would it be if steroid use were rampant in the NBA?’ Dwyane Wade was asked about the issue during the Heat’s player availability session. ‘Nothing I’ve ever seen in basketball,’ Wade said. ‘I don’t think it takes place.'”