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A public exchange of rumors between Yahoo blogger Dave Meltzer and UFC.com writer Oliver Copp regarding Sonnen’s suspension in California following a positive test for steroids ended up making headlines on many MMA sites. It is doubtful that this was their intention, but given Meltzer and Copp’s status as high-profile writers in the sport it was bound to happen. This wasn’t the only thing that that made the rumor spread like wildfire: the surprisingly optimistic analysis they provided gave hope to Sonnen fans who are hoping he will restore his name in the sport and be cleared of all charges.
The main points put forth in the exchange were that (1) Chael Sonnen was going to claim Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) that was prescribed by a physician as his defense in his hearing, (2) that he had informed the CSAC of his treatment once upon a time but failed to inform them this time around and (3) that the CSAC recently changed its stance on the ability of athletes undergoing TRT to compete and Chael Sonnen is a victim of this change. Although Metzler cautioned that Sonnen was still in violation of commission policy in his newsletter, Copp claimed that Sonnen was probably going to get a reduced fine and suspension and be done with it. This wishful thinking was openly embraced by quite a few people in MMA blogosphere.
If you talk to George Dodd, commissioner of the CSAC where Sonnen tested positive for steroids, you’re likely to get a more somber analysis of the situation. Dodd confirmed that the hearing is still set to take place.
“As far as I know our lawyer and his lawyers have said the date is still on for December 2. But when we get there and it happens it’s a different thing,” said Dodd. “Josh [Barnett] was scheduled to appear and they said he was going to show up but he never did.”
Josh Barnett finds himself in a similar situation to Sonnen after testing positive for a banned substance prior to his fight with Fedor Emelianenko at Afflicition: Trilogy. The difference being that Sonnen’s failed test didn’t crash an entire promotion. Dodd voiced that if neither of them show up for the hearings then they can plan on not fighting in California. Sonnen’s license will continue to be suspended and Barnett will continue to go without one.
As far as Chael’s supposed prescription for TRT, Dodd put it this way:
“When anybody is on any type of medication or anything like that they are required to provide physical documentation prior to us allowing them to compete here. That goes for any athlete that’s on any medication that could result in a positive toxicology test revealing abuse. Our people review it and if there is any alternative benefit then that question will also get asked. But, from what I understand, even if you’re on testosterone therapy you would not have elevated testosterone.”
Dodd confirmed that TRT is allowed by the CSAC but a fighter has to test within a particular, ‘normal’ testosterone range.
“And it has to be approved. Let me remind you again: we have to clear it. We need to get necessary documentation from a physician saying why you’re on this medication, ‘these are the treatments that we’ve attempted and it hasn’t worked or it has.’ Then we forward that information to our ring-side physician for review. If our physician agrees with their doctor then as long as they don’t test outside of a particular range they are fine.”
Sonnen did not test inside that ‘normal’ range.
It also appears that Sonnen failed to inform the CSAC of his therapy at any point in time. Sonnen fought Yushin Okami in Los Angeles at UFC 104 in late 2009, though Dodd confirmed that Sonnen was not tested for the fight. In response to reports that Sonnen informed the CSAC of his treatment, Dodd responded with, “I have not seen any documentation to that effect.”
A quick call to Keither Kizer, Commissioner for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, revealed that Sonnen never informed them of TRT either. Sonnen fought Nate Marquardt in Las Vegas months prior to his title shot against Anderson Silva. Since the fight took place in between Sonnen’s fights with Silva and Okami, it is only logical that he would still be on TRT given that it is an ongoing treatment.
“He never informed us of anything like that,” said Kizer. “We tested him for that fight and the tests came back clean. Same exact thing for the Dan Miller fight a while before that.” The only case of a fighter informing the NSAC of undergoing TRT that Kizer could recall was Dan Henderson towards the end of the Pride promotion.
On an interesting side note, Dodd also briefly commented to concerns that the CSAC let Sonnen fight when, oddly enough, he warned the commission prior to taking his pre-fight drug test that he would produce a positive test. CSAC policy dictates that the toxicology report trumps fighter admission: “According to rule 303C, even self-admitting doesn’t allow us to stop a fight. A laboratory has to confirm it with a toxicology report. Even if we were to do a test for abuse ring-side for cocaine, marijuana, etc., we can’t stop it. It has to be verified with blood work.”
Sonnen’s management declined to comment on the matter, saying that we would hear their case at the hearing next week. It could be that the whole ‘TRT defense’ claim put forth by Meltzer is nothing more than a rumor. If it isn’t, it appears that Sonnen has his work cut out for him since his problem is two-fold: failure to approve his therapy as well as producing a positive test. Although Sonnen’s fans were searching desperately for some glimmer of hope amidst the controversy, they should consider balancing this optimism with a healthy dose of skepticism since his defense is not without holes.
Either way, we will find out soon enough. As Dodd states, “We’re moving forward. That’s the good thing. I’ve recommended to the counsel that [Barnett and Chael] both be given a half-hour each to present their side of their cases. My counsel, Karen Chapelle and Howard Jacobs will be each given a half-hour to present their side. Then there’s 15 minutes of rebuttal. I’m hoping to not go over an hour-and-a-half with this. But we will definitely know a lot more after the hearing.”
http://www.mmafa.tv/home/blogs/nsacs...uspension.html
The main points put forth in the exchange were that (1) Chael Sonnen was going to claim Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) that was prescribed by a physician as his defense in his hearing, (2) that he had informed the CSAC of his treatment once upon a time but failed to inform them this time around and (3) that the CSAC recently changed its stance on the ability of athletes undergoing TRT to compete and Chael Sonnen is a victim of this change. Although Metzler cautioned that Sonnen was still in violation of commission policy in his newsletter, Copp claimed that Sonnen was probably going to get a reduced fine and suspension and be done with it. This wishful thinking was openly embraced by quite a few people in MMA blogosphere.
If you talk to George Dodd, commissioner of the CSAC where Sonnen tested positive for steroids, you’re likely to get a more somber analysis of the situation. Dodd confirmed that the hearing is still set to take place.
“As far as I know our lawyer and his lawyers have said the date is still on for December 2. But when we get there and it happens it’s a different thing,” said Dodd. “Josh [Barnett] was scheduled to appear and they said he was going to show up but he never did.”
Josh Barnett finds himself in a similar situation to Sonnen after testing positive for a banned substance prior to his fight with Fedor Emelianenko at Afflicition: Trilogy. The difference being that Sonnen’s failed test didn’t crash an entire promotion. Dodd voiced that if neither of them show up for the hearings then they can plan on not fighting in California. Sonnen’s license will continue to be suspended and Barnett will continue to go without one.
As far as Chael’s supposed prescription for TRT, Dodd put it this way:
“When anybody is on any type of medication or anything like that they are required to provide physical documentation prior to us allowing them to compete here. That goes for any athlete that’s on any medication that could result in a positive toxicology test revealing abuse. Our people review it and if there is any alternative benefit then that question will also get asked. But, from what I understand, even if you’re on testosterone therapy you would not have elevated testosterone.”
Dodd confirmed that TRT is allowed by the CSAC but a fighter has to test within a particular, ‘normal’ testosterone range.
“And it has to be approved. Let me remind you again: we have to clear it. We need to get necessary documentation from a physician saying why you’re on this medication, ‘these are the treatments that we’ve attempted and it hasn’t worked or it has.’ Then we forward that information to our ring-side physician for review. If our physician agrees with their doctor then as long as they don’t test outside of a particular range they are fine.”
Sonnen did not test inside that ‘normal’ range.
It also appears that Sonnen failed to inform the CSAC of his therapy at any point in time. Sonnen fought Yushin Okami in Los Angeles at UFC 104 in late 2009, though Dodd confirmed that Sonnen was not tested for the fight. In response to reports that Sonnen informed the CSAC of his treatment, Dodd responded with, “I have not seen any documentation to that effect.”
A quick call to Keither Kizer, Commissioner for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, revealed that Sonnen never informed them of TRT either. Sonnen fought Nate Marquardt in Las Vegas months prior to his title shot against Anderson Silva. Since the fight took place in between Sonnen’s fights with Silva and Okami, it is only logical that he would still be on TRT given that it is an ongoing treatment.
“He never informed us of anything like that,” said Kizer. “We tested him for that fight and the tests came back clean. Same exact thing for the Dan Miller fight a while before that.” The only case of a fighter informing the NSAC of undergoing TRT that Kizer could recall was Dan Henderson towards the end of the Pride promotion.
On an interesting side note, Dodd also briefly commented to concerns that the CSAC let Sonnen fight when, oddly enough, he warned the commission prior to taking his pre-fight drug test that he would produce a positive test. CSAC policy dictates that the toxicology report trumps fighter admission: “According to rule 303C, even self-admitting doesn’t allow us to stop a fight. A laboratory has to confirm it with a toxicology report. Even if we were to do a test for abuse ring-side for cocaine, marijuana, etc., we can’t stop it. It has to be verified with blood work.”
Sonnen’s management declined to comment on the matter, saying that we would hear their case at the hearing next week. It could be that the whole ‘TRT defense’ claim put forth by Meltzer is nothing more than a rumor. If it isn’t, it appears that Sonnen has his work cut out for him since his problem is two-fold: failure to approve his therapy as well as producing a positive test. Although Sonnen’s fans were searching desperately for some glimmer of hope amidst the controversy, they should consider balancing this optimism with a healthy dose of skepticism since his defense is not without holes.
Either way, we will find out soon enough. As Dodd states, “We’re moving forward. That’s the good thing. I’ve recommended to the counsel that [Barnett and Chael] both be given a half-hour each to present their side of their cases. My counsel, Karen Chapelle and Howard Jacobs will be each given a half-hour to present their side. Then there’s 15 minutes of rebuttal. I’m hoping to not go over an hour-and-a-half with this. But we will definitely know a lot more after the hearing.”
http://www.mmafa.tv/home/blogs/nsacs...uspension.html
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