Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, Shawne Merriman, and Marion Jones.

What do these four athletes have in common? They’ve used steroids or other banned substances in each of their respected sports.

For decades, possibly even centuries, athletes have used banned substances to get ahead of the competition.

Word leaked the week before Super Bowl XLVII that 13-time Pro Bowler and 10-time All Pro linebacker Ray Lewis had used a deer antler spray that contains a banned substance called IGF-1 to help his triceps injury heal faster. The same source had reportedly given the same deer antler spray to players of the 2011 NCAA National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide before their game against LSU in the BCS Championship in New Orleans.

Christopher Key and Mitch Ross are co-owners of a company called Sports With Alternatives to Steroids (SWAT), which is the group associated with these reports.

Ross told Sports Illustrated that he had spoken with Lewis after the Super Bowl XXXV MVP had torn his triceps October 14th 2012 to help him with a product to help accelerate up his recovery.

After being asked by a reporter at media day for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Lewis dismissed the report by saying “Two years ago, it was the same report, I wouldn’t give that report or him any of my press. He’s not worthy of that. Next question.”

Yahoo Sports reported the story that Lewis was referring to when Hue Jackson, then the Oakland Raiders head coach, was told by the NFL to end his relationship with the company because Ross told ThePostGame.com in 2011 that he gave Jackson free products that the coach apparently gave to players, as well as Lewis.

Kevin Byrne, who’s Vice President of Communications for the Ravens, told ESPN, “Ray has been randomly tested for banned substances and has never failed test.” But that could be because the substance in which Lewis used, is not tested by the NFL’s drug policy.

Lewis had a meeting with Ravens officials to discuss the report the morning before media day, in which Byrne said, “He denied using the substance discussed in the article, and we believe him.”

As for the Alabama players who have been accused of using the substance, Key said about 20 players purchased the spray at a hotel room in New Orleans leading up to that game against LSU and also saw five players spray the substance they purchased in their mouths.

For more information regarding athletes using PED’s or the Alabama Crimson Tide players using PED’s, stay tuned to ESPN the next coming weeks.