Things Go Better With “Coke” or Do They?

Drugs and baseball. Together again.  What a surprise.  (As my kids say, “Not.”) 

But this time the surprise is the big fuss that was made about not firing the manager of the Texas Rangers for having tested positive even though he came forward first.  Interestingly enough, where I think baseball really blew it with steroids, the Rangers handled this one quite well.  Like a real workplace should. 

When Ron Washington, the manager of the Texas Rangers tested positive  for cocaine last season, he stepped forward and went directly to the commissioner’s office and notified them that he may have failed the test.  According to the policy for testing non-playing personnel in baseball established upon recommendations from the Mitchell commission, anyone who tests positive is ordered to have a medical evaluation to set up a treatment plan and undergo follow-up testing.  In fact, this is exactly what has occured.  Further, the Rangers like many other teams have an employee assistance program (EAP) to handle situations just like these.  And their management ordered Washington to get that counseling through the EAP and get drug education from the MLB.

So, finally we get to see baseball act like any other workplace and create enforceable drug policies with options to help.  Unfortunately, professionals in sports are much more highly scrutinized than other professions so confidentiality is much more difficult to maintain.  It is for this very reason that the Texas Rangers and Ron Washington should be credited.  Even with all of the scrutiny, embarrassment, and bad press, they took a risk.

So baseball, the “All American Pastime,” finally showed its ability to set a good example for all of us — especially for CEOs and leaders of any workplaces.  We are all human.  We are all fallible.  And we all can be tempted by bad things.  But punishment isn’t always the answer; assistance and committment to our employees is a better solution. 

That is what EAPs are about.  And who is to say that anyone currently employed and drug free won’t, at some time, slip?  So rather than fire someone, why not try and give them an opportunity to rehabilitate.  Even more importantly, why not invest in prevention and education so that people are less likely to make these kinds of mistakes.  After all, chemical dependency is a disease and one that hits all of us.  According to a 2007 survey of people age 12 and older in the United States:

Fortunately, there are things we can do to drive these numbers down and help those in need.  Using EAP is a great example.

Thanks baseball.  That’s what “play ball” really should mean.

Tags: addiction, baseball, cocaine, EAP, Employee Assistance Program, mlb