Roberts' passing was difficult for many in the wrestling community, but how he died can serve as an education for those in the wrestling community about the dangers of opioids in their community. Like wrestling, opioids thrive in lower middle class white communities. In addition to a demographic concentration similar to that of wrestling, the geolocations of the largest problem areas tend to also be wrestling hotbeds: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and western New York have all seen dramatic increases in overdoses over the past few years, with no signs of slowing.
While the general population is always at risk for addiction to prescription medication, wrestlers can be particularly vulnerable to the epidemic since they are prone to long-held injuries (back, neck, knee), which tend to be prescribed opioid pain medications like OxyContin, Percocet, and which can lead to the abuse of stronger opioids like fentanyl.
A lot of time has passed since I was in college at the start of the century, but at that time we were readily prescribed OxyContin for care post-injury or post-surgery. For many, including me, the high from the drug not only took away or dulled the pain, but became a necessary part of recreational inebriation efforts. Considering what we know now, and having read about the explosion of this crisis, I can only be thankful that the more powerful cousins to the drugs we were prescribed had not become available for black market purchase.
The drugs did make an impact on our team. The turning point came after a close friend and teammate served time in jail for forging a prescription of OxyContin. In the end it was a petty crime by a brilliant guy, which showed total apathy to the shortsighted nature of his con for more drugs. His ingenuity, his passion, they were stifled by the need for the drug. Thankfully no other long-term effects were suffered by our team, but to this day I refuse pain medications, even after a recent appendectomy. The risk is just too great.
The opioid crises is more insidious than ever with profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies showing total ambivalence about the consequences of their drugs on the American people. We can hope that laws are changed and education increased, but that seems unlikely given recent cuts to programs servicing these victims.
Let's make sure that Nick Roberts' life and the story of his addiction strikes a chord with those in the wrestling community and inspires positive change. We, as a community, should stay aware of these issues and use Roberts' story and those of the thousands of other lives to prevent our sons and brothers from falling victim to this deadly epidemic.
To your questions …
Sammie Henson coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: To be honest, I expected better results out of West Virginia with Sammie Henson. He has now been leading the Mountaineers for three seasons. So far the results have been underwhelming. Only one WVU wrestler competed at the NCAAs. They had one other NCAA qualifier who was injured and unable to compete. Do you see WVU ever turning the corner with Henson? Or do see them moving on if things don't turn around soon?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I don't know any details, but I had heard that Sammie was still managing to clean out some bad influences on campus. Also remember that Morgantown takes a lot of pride in their party culture, and that can lead to at least a few wrestlers being distracted and/or getting in trouble.
The turnaround may take a bit of time as both Sammie and the wrestlers settle into the new expectations of their coach. I have a lot of faith that Sammie will deliver results in the next few seasons.
Q: Let me just say that I'm a Hawkeye fan to my core, but watching what PSU did, and especially Zain Retherford, was fun. I don't remember seeing a wrestler -- aside from maybe his head coach -- be as dominant as Zain has been the last two seasons. We're to the point that we are shocked if he doesn't tech. fall or pin everyone. My question is, has there been wrestler in the past 25-30 years on as dominant a run as Zain is on right now?
-- Jared W.
Foley: Of course the first name that pops into my head when considering dominating performances throughout an NCAA career is that of Zain's coach, Cael Sanderson. The Zain Train is something different altogether. He's a bit more focused on total and complete domination of the person rather than just the technical fall or pin. Zain is almost never in a close match or threatened. He seems to have cracked some code that other wrestlers aspire to understand. So, I guess the answer is no. Zain's method of dominance is almost wholly unique … and that's exhilarating to watch as a fan, no matter your allegiance.
Q: What do you think of Aaron Pico making his MMA debut in June? Was it a mistake not to have any amateur fights and go straight to pro? What will happen with his wrestling career?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: It's unclear what will become of Aaron Pico's wrestling career. For most fighters, MMA is an all-consuming pursuit to become competent (and effective) from both standing and the ground. That versatility will require new fighters like Pico to spend more time in jiu-jitsu and striking class than he will perfecting his gut wrench defense.
As for Pico's first fight … whoa. The California youngster is opening in Madison Square Garden against a legitimate opponent. He might not have any amateur fights, but I think that after getting tagged once or twice he'll be just fine. No need for amateur fights when you can get close-to-live sparring at the gym.
Q: Where has Logan Storley been? He started out fast and furious. He has not fought in a while. What made the transition for him from wrestling to MMA seem so seamless?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: It could be that he's having a tough time finding opponents. Most strikers aren't willing to fight an accomplished NCAA wrestler since being controlled on the ground in a boring fight means limited opportunities with future organizations. There's a reason that Conor McGregor hasn't fought a legitimate NCAA wrestler.
Logan is an incredible wrestler, with serviceable jiu-jitsu and the type of punching power from ground-and-pound you'd want to see in an athlete looking to make this a full-time career.
Q: After Issac Jordan of Wisconsin missed winning an NCAA title this year I was curious how many Big Ten champs have not won a national title in their career?
-- Jimmie D.
Foley: Too many to count! The Big Tens are difficult, but it's by no means a guarantee of a national title. Readers might have done this in the past … anyone?
Jesse Delgado, with Mark Perry, coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Q: Jesse Delgado is back wrestling and earned a bronze at the Cerro Pelado. He's also a coach at Illinois. Where do you see him fitting into the current landscape in the United States? Is he a contender for a spot on the U.S. World Team?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Contender? Maybe. Tough to not include a two-time NCAA champion in the discussion for a weight class that hasn't delivered a medal in the past few years. There is a need for something to happen at the lowest weight class for the USA to have a well-rounded team capable of competing at the World Cup with Russia and Iran.
Delgado might be the answer, but even if he isn't he provides substantial support to the USA Wrestling program in terms of a training partner.
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