Todd Bates ready for his final season
By Tommy Deas Sports Writer March 14, 2004
Email this story.
TUSCALOOSA | Todd Bates was looking for an edge, and he turned to a bodybuilding product to get it.
The senior defensive end from Heflin was putting on the wrong kind of weight. His position requires strength and speed, so he couldn’t afford to carry any extra pounds around his middle. He purchased a product called Rip Fuel, but the price was higher than he expected.
It cost him a year of eligibility.
Bates had to sit out last season after testing positive for ephedra, an herbal substance banned by the NCAA in 1997. The federal government moved last year to ban over-the-counter sale of ephedra-based products.
Bates said he had barely heard of ephedra until last year, and he found out about it the hard way.
“I never really heard the word until I got tested for it," he said. “I think they might have told us about it in a meeting when I was a freshman. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.
“Rip Fuel wasn’t helping me strength-wise. It would help me with reps, just give me more endurance in the weight room. It rips you up and gives you more wind."
Bates didn’t get to play a single down last year. Now he’s back for his senior season, and a lot wiser for his mistake.
“It’s a good thing they took [ephedra] out of every product," he said. “It was a bad situation for me."
Bates arrived at Alabama as a 6-foot-4, 240-pound linebacker, but was soon moved into a defensive end slot that required him to gain weight and add strength.
He was the only high school signee in the 2001 recruiting class to play as a true freshman. He played in nine games and earned one start, making 23 tackles and recovering two fumbles.
As a sophomore, Bates played in every game and made 28 tackles after missing most of spring practice while rehabilitating from shoulder surgery.
He was determined to make an impact last year, and that’s what led him to shop for something to help him. He says he never read the label, and had no idea his actions would cost him a season.
Ephedra has been linked to more than 150 deaths and hundreds of heart attacks and strokes. Following the death last year of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Belcher, which was linked to an ephedra-based product, the Bush administration moved to ban sale of the substances. The herb accelerates the heart rate, allowing the user to lose weight and work out longer. In doing so, it increases the strain on the heart.
Phillip Bishop, a UA professor of kinesiology who specializes in exercise science, is familiar with studies on the substance.
“It’s a stimulant," he said. “There is some evidence that it is effective in weight loss, but there is considerable evidence that it is very dangerous."
Ephedra-based products were popular with bodybuilders because they served to increase workout endurance and enhance the user’s physique.
“The big issue in bodybuilding is not only body mass," Bishop said. “It’s one thing to have muscles, but if it’s covered with fat, the judges can’t see it."
Bates wanted that kind of body, and he still does. He’s just trying to get it in a different way. Now playing at 253 pounds, he advocates doing things without the use any of performance-enhancing substances.
“Just not eating and lifting," he said. “I was trying to get bigger but keep slim and trim.
“It’s better this way. You know you’re doing it the right way and not putting anything bad in your body.
“I wouldn’t advise anybody to use anything. This is the way to do it."
Bates is also taking every possible precaution to make sure he never fails another drug test.
“Before I take any medicine for a cold or something, I check," he said. “You never know what might be in it."
Bates started out a little slow in spring practice, but has quickly rounded into form. He was promoted to a starting position last week, and has impressed his coaches with how he has handled his misfortune.
“I think he really missed it last year," said Alabama defensive coordinator Joe Kines. “I’ve never, in all my years, seen a guy sit out and get something out of it like he did. I think the best thing about it was his attitude."
Kines also likes the way Bates plays the game.
“He’s really good, aggressive," the coach said. “He’s the epitome of second effort. If he makes a mistake, he makes it at full speed."
Head coach Mike Shula has been impressed with Bates’ progress, but also with how he interacts with the team.
“Since day one, he’s been a leader," Shula said. “He’s in better shape now than he was a month ago, too.
“He’s going to be real solid for us, because he’s going to be in the right place at the right time to make plays."
Bates got to practice last season, but he didn’t practice with his teammates so much as against them. Bates was assigned to the scout team, where he went up against first- and second-team offensive players every day.
“I never got to work with our defense much," he said. “I was LSU or Tennessee or whoever we played. I ran their schemes. I was their best defensive lineman. I’d play nose guard or wherever."
Bates got the attention of Alabama’s offensive linemen every day when he went up against them.
“They’d come into meetings and say, 'We can’t block him,’" Kines recalled.
Now it is Bates who gets to go against the scout team players every day, but he does it with a different perspective.
“They get a lot of respect from me," Bates said. “Everybody on team has got a job, and they don’t always get the credit.
“That was my job last year. I know where they’re at, because I’ve been there."
Bates has improved throughout the spring as he has become more familiar with Alabama’s defensive schemes. Working with the scout team, he never got to learn the Alabama defense.
“I’m still a little rusty," he said, “but it’s coming back. My pass rush is better, but I’m not where I want to be.
“It’s made me more determined. I’ve got something to prove. I know there’s no free lunches. I want to earn what I get."
Reach Tommy Deas at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or at (205) 722-0224
______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List
"Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!"
To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
