Liquidsnake
Banned
What a surreal day.
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Maria Sharapova Press Conference. UP: Failed drug test
- Thread starter con-ca-te-nate
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But she's just like us
No way they'll ban her for 4 years. I could see 1 year max but 4 or even 2 would definitely kill off her career OR make for a pretty good comeback story including a movie and a book.
She had to announce it herself if she wanted to continue being a business woman after her tennis career. She's in candy, in fashion I believe and advertising. This was mandatory to save her career.
Sugarpova was just a way to get PED's into the hands of children? Despicable.
Seriously, though. This thing just got banned. Doesn't change my opinion of her at all. (Not that that opinion was a particularly high or low one.) Her legacy will still be:
1. Her meteoric burst onto the scene at a young age
2. Her resurgence and the career grand slam
3. Her utter futility against Serena
Seriously, though. This thing just got banned. Doesn't change my opinion of her at all. (Not that that opinion was a particularly high or low one.) Her legacy will still be:
1. Her meteoric burst onto the scene at a young age
2. Her resurgence and the career grand slam
3. Her utter futility against Serena
perfectchaos007
Member
Future Headline from Fox News? lol
Would have changed things drastically if she did though. ITF only gave them 9 days notification when many drugs in your system can stay with you for 30-40 days. Definitely an insufficient amount of time to cleanse the system. ITF needs to notify future drug bans a few months in advance going forward. (but they wont)
CountAntonius
Member
Gave my Bowie vibes.
her pr team is very very good. she'll get banned but come out with lots of public sympathy for owning up to it, seen as directly taking responsibility and being perceived as making a simple administrative mistake. everyone makes simple mistakes, loses track of things. it's relatable. she had a heart problem y'know, such a serious one that she could still be one of the most athletic people on the planet and required her to take a very unique medicine not registered in the usa. bless her. now she can still cash in loads on endorsement and commercial deals on her reputation.
that said if she can hire a pr team that good how can she have the staggering incompetence to actually get caught for drugs cheating in the sport of tennis. impossible is nothing.
that said if she can hire a pr team that good how can she have the staggering incompetence to actually get caught for drugs cheating in the sport of tennis. impossible is nothing.
RIP career
So it doesn't matter that there wasn't a moratorium? Just the reason for which she took it?
Well, then RIP career, then. Cilic took something illegal and said it was an accident (and I believe him), and he was only banned for a year.
I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of those cheaters that was fixing games.
Please explain.
Please explain.
WADA published the list September 29th, 2015. Why she only got the info 9 days before and didn't bother to read it is on her.
Good Job Bob
Member
Embarrassing. All her team had to do was check the banned substances list, what a simple slip-up that will cost her millions. I am kind of surprised they did not try to sweep it under the the rug considering the circumstances.
Maybe her 11-year highest earning female athlete streak finally come to an end.
Maybe her 11-year highest earning female athlete streak finally come to an end.
Ravensmash
Member
Sucks if it was a genuine mistake that will lead to her being banned.
That being said, WADA can't take a soft stance on it because then it opens up loopholes galore.
I hope that if it was a genuine mistake, then she can somehow recover her career.
That being said, WADA can't take a soft stance on it because then it opens up loopholes galore.
I hope that if it was a genuine mistake, then she can somehow recover her career.
perfectchaos007
Member
RIP career
Is it wrong that I'm imagining a fat Sharapova on the couch watching netflix gourging herself with chocopova?
God of Gamblers
Banned
Doesn't look good at all.
Shes has lived in the US most of her life. Meldonium is a substance that is only available from eastern Europe. Its actually banned by the FDA. For whatever reason she is using the drug surly there must be better US certified ones for the condition she is treating. Even though the drug was only put on the WADA banned list in January, her having taken it for 10 years seems to point towards her utilising the drug firstly for its endurance enhancing properties. It wouldn't be far fetched to assume other players using the same substance.
Shes has lived in the US most of her life. Meldonium is a substance that is only available from eastern Europe. Its actually banned by the FDA. For whatever reason she is using the drug surly there must be better US certified ones for the condition she is treating. Even though the drug was only put on the WADA banned list in January, her having taken it for 10 years seems to point towards her utilising the drug firstly for its endurance enhancing properties. It wouldn't be far fetched to assume other players using the same substance.
So it was on their advisory watchlist since Jan 2015 and banned in Jan 2016.
People doping on that shit should have been paying attention since Jan 2015.
Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldonium
Wow, so she's been importing a drug that's not approved for use in the US despite living here.
People doping on that shit should have been paying attention since Jan 2015.
Wait, is that true? So she imported this specific drug, as well?
Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldonium
Wow, so she's been importing a drug that's not approved for use in the US despite living here.
Good Job Bob
Member
Plus, if she has been taking that drug for a while now then surely it has been showing up in her blood tests. So why didn't she receive a personal notification from tennis anti-doping authorities when it was banned?
The drug getting placed on the watchlist was likely the warning to all athletes bound by WADA.
Once the drug is actually banned then it's likely up to the individual athletes to make sure they are not doping.
perfectchaos007
Member
I can see the posts now:
"I knew it!" x50
"Ha! About time she got busted" x20
"No wonder she plays like a man" x5
Khalifa Jayy
Banned
Sounds like pre-workout tbh lol
Don't really have any sympathy for her but I respect her for admitting it and letting us move on. This is a much better move than what others who have run afoul of the rules have done. So yeah I hope other PR teams learn a lesson.
Diprosalic
Banned
.
(and no this is not a dig against serena alone, i believe most top athletes are on something)
it isn't? you got some numbers?
Dusk Soldier
Member
It's not that weird. As a professional tennis player, she would be making plenty of trips outside the US.
Most tennis players are in Europe pretty much all of April to July.
My bet is that she gets a 6-month ban because of multiple mitigating factors, including her "honesty". The ban would be retroactive to mid-january, conveniently allowing her to play in Rio.
Sharapova gets public sympathy and the ITF makes it look like its house is in order. Everyone wins.
Probably already negotiated.
Sharapova gets public sympathy and the ITF makes it look like its house is in order. Everyone wins.
Probably already negotiated.
Aruarian Reflection
Chauffeur de la gdlk
Her superstar status will in some form save her from severe punishment
Dusk Soldier
Member
Pretty sure they have to publicly announce drug test results, as per WADA.
hamauzu kaito
Member
That ban is something serious!! If she wants to beat Serena this is not how you do it. I was just starting to respect her too.
In America TV ratings have been significantly dropping for years and only one major tennis tournament is still on broadcast tv. There is no big male American stars. Heck, none of them have come close to sniffing a Grand Slam in years. I can't speak for the world but in America tennis has fallen from the mainstream. Outside of Serena Williams the sport rarely if ever makes the headlines. Popularity of tennis in America is at an all-time low.
Lol @ people thinking she will be banned for 4 years. She was taking a drug that was LEGAL until january this year, she only played one tournament after that, she states she took it for health care and to treat chronic problems that run in her family. Also if she knew that what she was taking was a performance enchancing drug would she really ignore that email with the changes from the ITF? Everything is in her favour. It was just a really stupid and dumb slip from her team. She must be pissed off.
She will probably lose her points and money from AO16 and get a 6-12 monts ban tops.
And if you are one of those that think that she is the only one that takes this drugs... Oh boy. Most if not all top players must be doing it for a long time, only that their teams are competent enough to check lists and emails.
She will probably lose her points and money from AO16 and get a 6-12 monts ban tops.
And if you are one of those that think that she is the only one that takes this drugs... Oh boy. Most if not all top players must be doing it for a long time, only that their teams are competent enough to check lists and emails.
LMAO is this for real? She's been importing a drug from Eastern Europe for 10 years, and it "may have been a mistake"?
Cheaters cheat.
generic_username
I switched to an alt account to ditch my embarrassing tag so I could be an embarrassing Naughty Dog fanboy in peace. Ask me anything!
How was she cheating if the drug was not banned until Jan? Like how does it matter where she imports the drug from?
Yeah it was most likely a slip-up.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Jesus. Have they even bothered with her since then?
Why would she use a drug that's banned in the United States then? "I have a multi-million dollar tennis career, I should sabotage it by using drugs that aren't allowed in the country I live in!!"
serenewarfare
Banned
But if it was legal up until two months ago, it's not cheating. That's like saying athletes that drink Gatorade are "cheating" because they are re-energizing themselves.
There has to be a bookie in Europe or Southeast Asia that gets in on that action.
generic_username
I switched to an alt account to ditch my embarrassing tag so I could be an embarrassing Naughty Dog fanboy in peace. Ask me anything!
That does not matter because she should only go by what the ITF allows or disallows. I am not an athlete but I am using drugs from India for some of my problems and there are no equivalent drugs that are found in NA that my body finds effective. Who knows what health problems she was suffering from that required her to take that medication?
Pretty much. She goofed up but that does not suddenly undermine her pretty good career so far or her talent.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Maybe it would be better to bet on who's not taking.
MarzipaNMOS
Member
its amazing the naivety people have wrt athletes and PED. All major athletes are on PEDs. Literally all of them. The ones that get caught have bad/lazy support staff. It's a normal part of sports now. The stigma around PEDs is kind of dumb and I hope theyre allowed one day so people can use safe ones and studies can be done on them more openly.
David Ferrer definitely not taking drugs.
This thread is so rich.
The FDA, of all the fucked up institutions in this world, is really being held up as some shining paragon of morality and fairness here.
I'm still waiting for someone to respond to my Kobe question. The FDA didn't approve of the procedure he had done to regenerate his knee, and that surgery in question played a huge role in some of his great post-prime seasons.
Was he cheating? Should we retroactively put an asterisk on his career?
The FDA, of all the fucked up institutions in this world, is really being held up as some shining paragon of morality and fairness here.
I'm still waiting for someone to respond to my Kobe question. The FDA didn't approve of the procedure he had done to regenerate his knee, and that surgery in question played a huge role in some of his great post-prime seasons.
Was he cheating? Should we retroactively put an asterisk on his career?
OpinionatedCyborg
Member
I don't find it damning that she's taking a drug not approved by the FDA. There are many drugs available in Europe and Asia that are widely used and respected but not approved for use in America (example: tianeptine ).
I can't comment on the rest of her story because I'm not familiar with the drug testing protocols in tennis. Normally, I don't believe an athlete when he or she uses ignorance as a defense. Sharapova's explanation is better than the ones typically given by athletes.
I can't comment on the rest of her story because I'm not familiar with the drug testing protocols in tennis. Normally, I don't believe an athlete when he or she uses ignorance as a defense. Sharapova's explanation is better than the ones typically given by athletes.
Why is it important? If it was legal why does it matter, she has the money and was following directions from a doctor that has been qith her family since forever. And yes it is common to import drugs, shocking. A friend of mine who used to play semi-pro soccer in the US up until last year used to import some medicines from europe becuase for some reason the only ones that were not banned in the US had a substance to which he was allergic to. So there were no other options. And it was legal.
She plays for Russia and Tennis is an international sport. USA laws dont matter.
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