I’m sorry Jannik Sinner – “I can’t”- With all of the PED/doping fails and rationales put forward over the years, I’m sorry Jannik Sinner, I can’t buy even one more. I can’t accept your explanation. I can’t accept the innocent chain of events brushed aside as a reasonable accident. I can’t deal with any more well-meaning incompetence from a team of experts. If it were the first time, I would be forgiving, but at this point, “I can’t.”
Why can’t I? It’s too much. It’s too many times. It’s always the same. “I can’t.” I’m going to admit up front to any “facts” I get wrong. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. It’s a blur. It’s the medicine accidentally scooped into the pasta sauce. It’s the mistakenly took my mom’s medicine when she uses the doping version and I don’t. It’s the spiked collagen. It’s the didn’t see the new list and I’ve been using this for years before it was banned. My personal favorite of course is the kissed a girl who was using cocaine. And those are just tennis failed test examples. Let’s not forget all the crazy stories for why a person wasn’t available to be tested, thought it was a burglar…whatever. As a sports fan across other sports, I could give countless equally crazy examples. Every athlete is innocent. Every athlete has some crazy circumstances. Lie until it’s true. Obviously, that’s the way of the world. “I can’t.”
Last time I believed?
Maria Sharapova. She came out and honestly admitted a mistake. She gave reasonable circumstances around a drug she’d used for years under prescription that had only been banned since prior year end. It actually made sense until……it didn’t. It made sense until it came out that most of Russia’s athletes were getting suspended for the same drug. It made sense until it came out that Maria didn’t list it as a drug she was taking on any of her tournament forms where medications were requested. It made sense until it came out that none of her team knew she was taking it, only a Russian doctor she still worked with. It made sense until an example of Maria properly getting permission to use a cold medicine showed just how familiar she was with the process. Now, it doesn’t make sense. I pick on Maria, but it could’ve been any example. Cilic? Errani? Not believable either.
Why Sinner?
It sounds reasonable. It’s a small billionth dose that couldn’t help performance. Transferred in a massage? Ok, doctor’s are saying this is possible. So why? Look just a little bit further. Look at the widespread use of Clostebol by Italian athletes. I couldn’t believe how many have been suspended for it. There are numerous tennis players banned. Check out their stories. They all sound like Sinner’s with some crazy on my hand touched skin rationale. But how could anyone have known? Well, the box has a big red circle with doping on it. Oh, and the physio and therapist are only experts with one of them being a Pharmacist. All of these other suspended players have cuts on themselves or their pets that needed a steroid cream. Wow, can’t anyone just use a band-aid, some soap and water, rubbing alcohol, Neosporin (check the label first)?
Want more?
Do some research on how Clostebol could be used as a masking agent. Look up how it is compared to testosterone gel and could be used as a “top-off” for someone who has raised their testosterone levels (illegally) and wants to keep them up there without them showing too high on the tests.
I can’t
I admit to cynicism, pessimism, and probably a few other isms, but “I can’t” buy anymore. I’ve gone my whole life without accidentally taking performing enhancing drugs. I would say I’m not unusual. These athletes have professional teams looking at everything and they can’t get out of their own way. Clostebol is a widespread performance enhancing issue in Italy just as Meldonium was in Russia, yet we’re supposed to believe that a world-class athlete with a world-class team wasn’t paying attention. Everyone in Italy who trains professional athletes is aware of this drug. It’s crazy to believe otherwise. What on earth were his people doing anywhere near this stuff. I’d stay five aisles away from it in the store. You’ve got to be kidding me that it was given to the massage therapist for a cut when transferring by hand is the number one way other athletes are testing positive. “I can’t.” I’m just not that crazy yet. Feel free to fact-check above. I’m certain I’ve “misremembered.” It doesn’t matter. Facts don’t matter. Common sense says these situations and explanations are lies. My sense is still perfectly common.
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