WASHINGTON--They can still promote running shoes and sports drinks, but the nation's football players will no longer be able to endorse sports nutrition supplements that contain some nutritional ingredients that have been banned by the National Football League (NFL). NFL and its players union, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), made the joint decision.

Carl Francis, a spokesperson for the NFLPA (www.nflpa.org), stated, "It's really simple. The substances that athletes are barred from promoting are banned substances. Basically, the rules state that players are not allowed to endorse products that are listed on our banned substance list."

He added that this "living, breathing" list gets updated daily as to which dietary supplements exert anabolic- or diuretic-like effects, such as androstenediol (andro), norandrostenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

According to a letter co-written by the NFLPA's executive director, Gene Upshaw, players who test positive for any banned substance will be punished with at least a four-game suspension without pay. "For your own health and success in the League, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take," he concluded.