USA winger James Paterson banned for 4 months after a positive drug test at the RWC

From here; NZ born USA, Highlanders and Southland winger James Paterson has been banned from all rugby for 4 months after testing positive to the painkiller ocycodone following the USA's Rugby World Cup match vs Italy in Nelson. Oxycodone is classified as a narcotic by world doping body WADA and is prohibited in competition only.

The medication was prescribed to Paterson by the US team doctor after Paterson suffered a shoulder injury vs Russia, and Paterson disclosed the medication he was on at his test, which explains the relatively light ban.

Paterson, who qualified for the USA via his mother, and who played American football at high school in Colarado, can return to rugby on Febuary 13. He has relocated to the United States after failing to win a Super XV contract with the Highlanders for 2012. Paterson was the equal top try scorer in the 2008 NZ National Provincial Championship with Canterbury.

That's unlucky for him and really the US team doctor should be given his P45 (or the American equivelent) as it's his job to know what he can and cannot pescribe to the players.

formerly known as Sam wrote:That's unlucky for him and really the US team doctor should be given his P45 (or the American equivelent) as it's his job to know what he can and cannot pescribe to the players.

I agree. I guess that's why he got the relatively short ban - had he still been NZ based and with a Super XV team he would only have missed one or 2 warm-up matches. Presumably (I don't know much anything about US club rugby) he's missed a fair chunk of their season.

Yeah I agree the USA team doctor is to blame for this, hope Team USA fine him four months wages and give it to Paterson, to cover his loss of earnings.

Not nearly as funny as the Japenese outhalf, that was banned before the worldcup for testing positive for a banned substance, as he was using some cream to try and grow a moustache.

Especially as the cream was a fungal one and not for his face.

Unfortunate for him he chose rugby over track and field

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Unfortunate for him he chose rugby over track and field

Or baseball, or the NFL...

Seriously, what a screw up from the team doctor - should have been a no fault verdict against the player and the Doc being fined and suspended for incompetence.

dummy_half wrote:

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Unfortunate for him he chose rugby over track and field

Or baseball, or the NFL...

Seriously, what a screw up from the team doctor - should have been a no fault verdict against the player and the Doc being fined and suspended for incompetence.

In this case that would seem fair. However if in general athletes could get off bans with "I was prescribed it" you'd see an awful lot of Olympic team doctors taking falls for athletes

Yep hence the "its your responsibility what goes in your body" and zero tolerance approach.

Theres not many sportsfolk who have come out and said " yeah I was cheating, what a silly sausage I was to get caught", its always something they ate on the plane or their wifes new lipstick that made them fail the test. If you could just get away with ( as many have done in the past) by claiming ignorance or saying it doesnt really count because you didnt mean it then there would never be any bans.

Its a tough code, assuming this chaps story is true then hes been harsh done by sure but the rules are as they are for a good reason. The ban is pretty light anyway.
Like many though I read " highschool american football" and just assume he was scoffing HGH from the age of 10 anyway.

Fair point but knowing a few professional athletes in various sports, I know rigorous and wide ranging the testing for banned substances is. The banned substances are usually in a booklet bigger than the Bible and let's face it, when mezzyleroplene is put as a banned substance, associated products that contain that chemical don't exactly leap to your mind.

The rules are not as simple as you can eat spinach but not steroids with chicken.

One thing that bugs me personally about drug testing is that the people who come round to your house at proposterously early times (why do they never come at 6pm? Why is it 5am? Do they expect to have me answer the door in my pyjamas with blood bags attached to my arms?) and with the social graces of a skunk that's eaten a particularly large portion of chickpeas and cabbage. They never say sorry to disturb you at this hour or sorry to wake you and always come across as surly and rude with an attitude that you are a cheating drugs cheat and we will catch you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but at some atrociously early hour in the near future when you least expect it because you´ll be sleeping.

I have no patience for drugs cheats. But equally I have no patience or tolerance of the people they send round to your house with a guilty before proven innocent attitude. And I´ve only been drug tested a few times. What about the real professional athlete who gets that on a regular basis!

when mezzyleroplene is put as a banned substance, associated products that contain that chemical don't exactly leap to your mind.

To true, the majority of sportsmen are not medical students in their spare time (Jamie Roberts would have no leg to stand on if he was ever accused), you go to the team doctor with an injury he says take this and go see the physio and I assume that's what you do. Can't see a player and doctor huddled over a book and the drugs ingrediants page.

I should point out that to the best of my knowledge mezzyleroplene is not a known substance but if it is then you probably shouldn't take it... whatever it is.

You’ve got to be responsible – end of.

Personal experience – I was 19 years old (many moons ago) and playing league in Australia’s Queensland Cup (one below NRL). We’d been lectured on drugs etc and that year I had two random tests. During the year I went to see my doctor (not club one) for some pains I’d had in my hand as a result of an injury playing and he wanted to prescribe me a steroid....I asked if it was banned and he said it wasn’t so I asked he check the website just to make sure....lo and behold it was banned and I could’ve received a lengthy ban. Thankfully I wasn’t naive in taking the doctor’s word on the issue

Point is you’ve got to be 100% sure and not rely on anyone as it is your career that goes down the pan....

chewed_mintie wrote:You’ve got to be responsible – end of.

Personal experience – I was 19 years old (many moons ago) and playing league in Australia’s Queensland Cup (one below NRL). We’d been lectured on drugs etc and that year I had two random tests. During the year I went to see my doctor (not club one) for some pains I’d had in my hand as a result of an injury playing and he wanted to prescribe me a steroid....I asked if it was banned and he said it wasn’t so I asked he check the website just to make sure....lo and behold it was banned and I could’ve received a lengthy ban. Thankfully I wasn’t naive in taking the doctor’s word on the issue

Point is you’ve got to be 100% sure and not rely on anyone as it is your career that goes down the pan....

Excellent sentiment, I agree. As long as it's within your power to be absolutely sure you should think to find out and not lean entirely on the word of a third party. Of course the doctor is at fault too, if anything he should share the blame as it's as easy for him to be informed as it is for the player, if not easier. As has been said, telling the player what you think when it's your profession to know is extremely incompetent.

Still, it doesn't sound right that the player should be excused from all and any form of responsibility when he could just as easily have found out for himself.

I have just noticed the link to the article.

It is all very strange indeed.

I find it pretty astounding that neither the athlete nor the team doctor knew that opiates are banned during competition.

I can only imagine that they thought he was injured so signifiacntly that he would not be fit to take any further part in the competition.

I don't think there's any doubt with medication. It´s an athlete's responsibility to check any medication he takes. But let's take the case of a triathlete who was suspended in NZ for having too much opium in his system. He received a ban but when he pointed out that those levels were obtained from eating poppy seeds on a loaf of bread, his ban was overturned.

A simple mix up? Well in this case it was easy enough to prove but with another foodstuff may not be so easy to prove your innocence. Personally, I don't buy this dodgy meat theory by Contador but let's face it when we hear of a drugs allegation, we always assume the worst.

It's not just medication that can get you into trouble but also eating certain things in certain products. This is not always so easy to control.