Three-time NCAA Champion Jason Nolf has claimed that PEDs are absent from collegiate wrestling – just as he announces his transition to professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.
Following his consolation semifinal defeat to Tyler Kasak, wrestler Meyer Shapiro made headlines not for his performance on the mat, but for his candid and controversial post-match comments.
Speaking to reporters in what began as a routine press conference, Shapiro suddenly veered into unexpected territory with remarks that appeared to suggest PED use in the sport.
“I could be a 149 pounder for all I wanted to be, you know,” Shapiro stated. “Some guys, if they’re taking ster*ids or they’re not taking ster*ids, you know, wink, wink.”
The statement, which came without any prior context or questioning about PED yse in wrestling, caught journalists and officials off guard. Shapiro did not specifically name any athletes or directly accuse Kasak.
“It’s just crazy, you know,” he continued before adding, “I’m grateful that I was her athletic director right there.”
Wrestling officials have not yet responded to Shapiro’s comments, which could potentially violate the sport’s code of conduct regarding unsubstantiated accusations against fellow competitors.
“No one in college wrestling is taking ster*ids,” Nolf declared in a recent tweet, making a definitive stance that stands in stark contrast to the perception of PED use in many professional sports, including his new competitive home of BJJ.
At just 28 years old, Nolf has officially announced his retirement from wrestling after more than two decades in the sport. The surprising news came during his appearance on the Athletes Ocean podcast, where he shared his plans to focus on business ventures and competition in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
“I’ve been wrestling for 22 years now… it’s been a really big part of my life,” Nolf said. “I just want to officially announce that I’m retiring. I’m done wrestling.”
What makes his decision particularly notable is that Nolf was still considered a contender for the U.S. Olympic Team. Instead, he’s charting a new course that includes relocating to Austin, Texas – a recognized hub for both entrepreneurship and high-level Jiu-Jitsu training.
“Austin is a big Jiu-Jitsu hub,” he explained, “and I want to continue to compete in Jiu-Jitsu… we can grow the Jiu-Jitsu side of Ocean as well.”
Nolf’s assertion about wrestling’s clean status comes at an interesting time as he enters the BJJ world, where PED use is considered much more prevalent. Unlike NCAA wrestling, which maintains regular drug testing protocols (though less rigorous than Olympic standards), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has minimal standardized testing across most competitions.
While NCAA wrestling has seen occasional doping cases – including Travis Rutt testing positive for a banned stimulant in 2011 and various Olympic hopefuls failing USADA tests after their collegiate careers – the sport maintains a relatively clean reputation compared to professional BJJ.
“In BJJ, you’re often more surprised to find out someone isn’t on something,” one anonymous black belt competitor noted, highlighting the cultural differences Nolf will encounter in his new competitive arena.
Despite these differences, Nolf isn’t just entering the BJJ world as a competitor. He’s bringing his entrepreneurial vision by planning to establish Ocean Elite, a wrestling club in Round Rock, Texas, aimed at developing the next generation of grapplers by combining wrestling with modern submission techniques.
This move places Nolf among a growing trend of elite American wrestlers crossing into BJJ, bringing world-class takedowns and work ethic to a sport that has historically focused more on ground techniques.
While some skeptics question whether Nolf’s claim about wrestling’s cleanliness is overly idealistic, his statement likely reflects the high-character, tightly coached environment of top programs like Penn State, where he trained.
Whether his stance on PEDs evolves as he becomes more embedded in the professional BJJ world remains to be seen, but Nolf’s entry represents another high-profile crossover between wrestling and jiu-jitsu that continues to reshape both sports.
