Is the “Tainted Supplements” Excuse Acceptable Now?

The main priority for the United States Anti-Doping Agency, in their partnership with the UFC, is to sniff out drug cheats and serve them harsh, yet appropriate punishments, as a way to let everyone know that using performance enhancing drugs of any kind in one of the premier sports organizations in the world is not a behavior that will be tolerated. Not in this day and age.

Well, unless you took something and didn’t realize it. Then you’ll just get punished long enough to make you feel bad and then you can get right back to your goal of making sure Ronaldo Souza never gets a UFC title shot.

Obviously, I’m making light of the situation that was ongoing between the USADA and UFC middleweight contender and poet laureate Yoel Romero, but what may have just happened is the creation of a dangerous precedent that could open the door for other fighters to do what he just did, assuming he legitimately knew what he just did.

Romero’s last fight was at UFC 194, where he won a very un-decisive decision from Souza. In the days after the fight, Romero was flagged by the USADA for a potential anti-doping violation, in the way that they have for numerous fighters since they began administering UFC’s drug testing, and in the way that they still are to this very day (say it ain’t so Frank – SAY IT AIN’T SO!).

Yoel isn’t the first fighter to get flagged for an anti-doping violation and he’s certainly not the first fighter to deny knowingly taking a banned substance. That’s not surprisingly, obviously, as that’s the default response for any athlete, to deny any sort of wrongdoing. Why admit to cheating when there’s plenty of good excuses to use that won’t necessarily endear you to your fans but will let you live in the delusion that you did nothing wrong even when a credible, reputable agency is saying, uh, yeah you did?

Of course, it is possible that a fighter did take something illegal and really didn’t know about it, as dumb as that may be. That’s where the “tainted supplements” excuse comes in. It’s an excuse that has existed in the sport for as long as fighters have been taking strange looking pills in the name of peak physical fitness.

One of the most memorable instances of the excuse being used was back in 2012, when Alistair Overeem, who was set to face then UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos (yes, it’s been a long time) failed a drug test and said it was due to a medication he took that had a hint of steroids in them, but it wasn’t his fault because the doctor who prescribed them didn’t mention that to him. So, it’s all gravy. Performance enhancing gravy.

It’s a baffling excuse to see used at this level of the sport because you would think that the best fighters in the world are aware of what’s being put in their bodies. It’s vital information and not knowing could have extremely damaging repercussions for a fighter’s career.

You would think they would know but yet it’s 2016 and we’re still seeing fighters like Romero failing drug tests and claiming it wasn’t his fault because he took a supplement that had a banned substance in it but the substance wasn’t listed on the label so he shouldn’t be punished because he didn’t know and NO FORGET JESUS and etc.

Well, apparently it’s still a good excuse to use, as the USADA took a potential 2 year suspension for a first time steroid offense, and reduced it to 6 months. The same thing is likely to happen to Tim Means, who got flagged in February for a similar violation and has also said he used a supplement tainted with an illegal substance.

When it comes to handling these types of cases, it’s always going to be a tricky tightrope to walk for whoever administers and enforces the tests because, while some fighters may use the excuse to avoid admitting to use they were fully aware of, some fighters may be honest in their ignorance.

I won’t claim to have extensive knowledge of the dietary supplement industry, but I’ve read enough articles from MMA writers who actually get paid to see that there’s little to no regulation in the industry and the odds of a supplement coming to market containing an illegal substance that wasn’t noted on the label is higher than anyone wants to admit. It does happen, which is what makes it so important for all fighters to closely monitor the supplements they ingest.

It’s that thinking that makes me understand why USADA might not want to give Romero the full punishment, since he has benefit of the doubt on his side (and no legal way to prove he knowingly ingested the illegal substance) but it’s not like the drug test Romero failed was the first drug test he’s ever taken. The USADA’s own website shows that, in the fourth quarter of last year, Romero was drug tested 6 times. He knows what the USADA is here to do. He should know what the USADA can do if he doesn’t follow their rules. If he fails the test, he needs to face the consequences, which are laid out for everyone to see.

It makes me wonder if, while USADA might not have had enough evidence to make the full suspension stick, if the punishment that was settled on is really enough to deter this kind of behavior in the future. In MMA, 6 months is not a suspension. It’s a vacation. Fighters at Romero’s level routinely go half a year between fights, so is that really going to be enough to get Romero to buck up and realize that he needs to be smarter about what he puts in his body?

Is it enough to deter anyone else from doing the same? If another fighter cheats and presents a strong enough defense that they did so unknowingly, even if they knew full well what they did, will they get their suspension drastically reduced too? USADA may be doing what they feel is the fair thing to do but, in the process, they may have given cheaters a way to continue cheating without facing any severe consequences. All they have to do is chill for a few months and they’ll be fighting again before anyone realizes they did anything wrong.

Is that the right way to handle this situation? I don’t know. It’s fair to give someone the benefit of the doubt, regardless of what evil intentions we may feel they have because all athletes are inherently awful, but USADA also has to be sure that they are doing what they can to educate and keep this behavior from continuing. If this scenario keeps popping up, that means they aren’t doing their job.

But, with all the unregulated supplements floating around out there, who knows how far USADA can realistically go to curb this behavior. It’s not like every fighter has access to a chemist who can test every supplement they take to determine what specific ingredients they contain. Should USADA be expected to provide a service like that? Should they create a list of supplements that are okay to take and not okay to take and enforce fighters to follow it? Do they even have that kind of authority? Does anyone know? Does anyone even really care if fighters try to game the system? I mean, cheaters will find a way if they want it bad enough, right?

Drug testing is still very young in a sport that is, itself, very young. The rules are still being defined and the consequences are still setting in. There’s going to be a lot of trial and error and fighter’s careers are going to be impacted as a result of it, but USADA is not just looking to punish. They are looking to modify behaviors and that is something that is going to take time.

So, just remember, fighters: be smart about what you put in your bodies. Oh, and if a friend offers you a blue vial that he obtained from Thailand to help you with your “man problems,” you should probably pass on that. Just a heads up.

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.