the question of steroid use has been discussed as a possible factor in mandarich's spectacular failure. mandarich did not admit his steroid use until 2008. until then, he publicly blamed his work ethic in a 2003 "milwaukee journal-sentinel" article: "i wanted to create as much hype as i could for many different reasons—exposure, negotiation leverage, you name it. and it all worked, except the performance wasn't there when it was time to play football." the first "sports illustrated" cover story included allegations of steroid abuse in college, however, mentioning acne of his arms and premature balding.