Another Kerry player fails a doping test

[tonto1888]

Agree 100% with DJGaliv.

There may or may not be a culture of doping but failed tests indicates that more needs to be done to investigate and eliminate it. Sticking your head in the sand and saying there's no problem doesn't make it so

I'd imagine it's very easy to get these drugs and the chances of being tested are minimal - 96 tests last year works out at <1/5000 chance for an intercounty player. Particularly guys who are on the fringes of panels/teams, there's huge incentive and tiny risk.

How did you work out those odds?
I agree there needs to be more testing. If more players are doping. Find them and ban them

[Il Bomber Destro]

From the Irish Examiner today:

"It is believed O'Sullivan sought an alternative tablet form to the caffeine gels his Kerry colleagues were taking, and made the mistake of sourcing the product over the counter from a health store.

He was unfortunate that the particular batch he bought was found in subsequent testing to be contaminated.

He has acknowledged his "rookie error" with regard to not going through Kerry team nutritionist Kevin Beasley or team medic, Dr Mike Finnerty."


Very foolish of him, to put it mildly, just because he didn't like the taste of the "official" supplement.

It all sounds a bit like Fr Ted's protestations about the money simply resting in his account.

[macdanger2]

Agree 100% with DJGaliv.

There may or may not be a culture of doping but failed tests indicates that more needs to be done to investigate and eliminate it. Sticking your head in the sand and saying there's no problem doesn't make it so

I'd imagine it's very easy to get these drugs and the chances of being tested are minimal - 96 tests last year works out at <1/5000 chance for an intercounty player. Particularly guys who are on the fringes of panels/teams, there's huge incentive and tiny risk.

How did you work out those odds?
I agree there needs to be more testing. If more players are doping. Find them and ban them

Say 30 players on 45 intercounty squads (leaving out most of the lower level hurling teams) by 365 days / year gives almost half a million divided by 96 gives ~1/5000 chances of being tested on a given day

[magpie seanie]

That was the deal when the sports grants were given to IC players. As part of that, they had to sign up to Sports Ireland's protocols.

Which is part of the problem and something that was never discussed at the time. That congress in Sligo where the grants were accepted was a terrible day for the GAA and has led to things like this. It's sickening to hear a guy who knowingly cheated in his own professional cycling career attacking and questioning the integrity of the GAA and IC players but sadly, they're fair game now. This Kerry player's misdemeanour for want of a better word is nothing in comparison to what Kimmage did himself. However we have to accept him and others using this as a reason to have a go at the GAA and our players simply because the IC players are getting paid. And that's what we have to accept. They are getting paid so they will be treated like professionals. Our own hypocrisy as GAA people is exposed here. We think the lad was stupid for not consulting the team medic and/or the team nutritionist yet we still pretend he's an amateur player. Time to wise up......we can't have it both ways. Saying we respect the amateur ethos doesn't change the facts.

[gallsman]

Refreshing to see some of the views here, a few rather unsurprisingly disappointing although not unexpected. Heads are buried in the sand all over the country on this issue.

He is responsible for what's in his system. End of. The Kerry set up is exceptionally professional. Going looking for your own supplements, independent of the medical team, is idiotic at best. As for the"contaminated supplement" excuse, was it actually contaminated​ or was the MHA simply an ingredient in whatever he took?

The whole episode smacks of a cover up and I doubt it would have come to light at all if there hadn't been some serious digging.

Every Kerry media figure on the defensive has been an embarrassment - Marc, Tomas, Micheal Quirke etc.

As for Parkinson, he always has and always will be a complete and utter gobshite. Well suited to that garbage Joe.ie.

[Jinxy]

Dopers are regular people.
Not commenting on this specific case as the level of specific intent seems to be minimal, but the whole 'He's a good lad' angle is utterly irrelevant one way or the other.

[AZOffaly]

Absolutely it is. I think what they are trying to do is minimise the blow back on this lad, especially if it is a genuine case of stupidity rather than cheating.

I'm all for this, and I think in the GAA not only do we have to be squeaky clean, but we have to be seen to be squeaky clean. That said, even in my own days there was a quare amount of asthmatics in dressing rooms.

These days, with the medical and nutrition support staffs that all counties have, there is no excuse to take any supplement or medicine without clearing it with them. If you do, and you get unlucky, then that's on you.

[gallsman]

Quirke on Second Captains gave out that there's not enough education to lads about what they can and can't take, gave the example of taking Nurofen vs Nurofen Plus for a headache. I don't buy that for a second - anything you intend to take outside the "official" regimen, clear it with the medical team. If you decide you're going to take a chance and look after your own side of things, that is entirely on you. It's pretty simple.

Quirke also gave the example of people in the Olympics having far more financial incentive to succeed and thus should be held to a higher standard than hurlers or footballers. John Greene was on with him and absolutely had a field day with that, pointing out that many GAA lads would have far more "professional" support or opportunity to make a bit of coin than your average canoeist, for example.

As for the "he's not that type of guy" or "he's a good lad" bullshit, anyone spouting it should be laughed out of the place.

[Jinxy]

Financial gain has very little to do with it in most cases.
Most of the people caught doping are amateur athletes.
The reaction to everything in Kerry is to circle the wagons, and frankly they don't give a damn what anyone else thinks about them, not least the media 'up in Dublin'.
It's a pity that their response is seen as representative of the wider association.
If somebody takes something they shouldn't, either deliberately or inadvertently, it is only right and proper that the system picks it up and deals with it accordingly.
I would have some concerns with the way this was handled once he tested positive, as it seems like he was treated differently to say a cyclist in the same boat.
Sport Ireland should explain why this is only coming out now, and via a newspaper article as well.

[armaghniac]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/comment-inhaler-confusion-in-ulster-shows-how-little-gaa-players-really-know-about-doping-issue-35773860.html

[yellowcard]

If they would name the contaminated supplement it could put a stop to a lot of the innuendo.

It could be innocent enough, but the whole episode gives the appearance of there being something to hide even if there wasn't.

[Jinxy]

If you're happy to take the governments money via the GPA, you're obliged to educate yourself on the risks of supplements, medicines etc.
We're not talking about children here.
Players are always banging on about training like professionals, maybe it's time to start acting like professionals.

[magpie seanie]

If you're happy to take the governments money via the GPA, you're obliged to educate yourself on the risks of supplements, medicines etc.
We're not talking about children here.
Players are always banging on about training like professionals, maybe it's time to start acting like professionals.

Nail on the head.

[tonto1888]

If you're happy to take the governments money via the GPA, you're obliged to educate yourself on the risks of supplements, medicines etc.
We're not talking about children here.
Players are always banging on about training like professionals, maybe it's time to start acting like professionals.

not defending anybody but professionals have used the same, or a variant of, that excuse

[gallsman]

If they would name the contaminated supplement it could put a stop to a lot of the innuendo.

It could be innocent enough, but the whole episode gives the appearance of there being something to hide even if there wasn't.

Precisely - as I said, I'm keen to know whether a clean supplement was contaminated, or whether the supplement actually contained the MHA as an ingredient. An important distinction.

While all of it might be an innocent mistake, the actions of all parties involved so far give the impression that it was anything but.