Kendrick’s Attorney Calls Doping Ban “Shocking; Grossly Disproportionate”

Written by: Erin Frauenhofer on 3rd August 2011

US tennis player Robert Kendrick banned over positive test

Robert Kendrick, who received a 12-month ban for testing positive for methylhexaneamine, will appeal the ban. Kendrick's attorney and players speak in support.

Robert Kendrick, who received a 12-month ban for testing positive for methylhexaneamine, will appeal the ban. Kendrick's attorney and players speak in support. (FILE) A file picture dated 22 June 2010 shows US tennis player Robert Kendrick reacting during his first round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London, Britain. Robert Kendrick has been banned from tennis for 12 months after testing positive for a banned stimulant, the International Tennis Federeration announced in London on 29 July 2011. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA *** Local Caption *** 00000402215954 |

Robert Kendrick, who received a 12-month ban from competition after testing positive for methylhexaneamine, plans to appeal the sanction, while his attorney and fellow players have spoken out in support of him.

“A 12-month sanction is shocking; grossly disproportionate to the landscape of MHA and specified substance sanctions in the sporting community,” said Brent Nowicki, Kendrick’s attorney, to Reuters. “Robert is not asking to be exonerated. He is asking for a just punishment. Instead, the ITF is trying to take a speeding ticket and turn it into a felony.”

The law firm Preti Flaherty will file Kendrick’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport on Wednesday.

The International Tennis Federation had suspended Kendrick from competition on Friday, citing Kendrick’s positive test for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine (MHA) at the French Open. The ban had been back-dated to the date of the offense, meaning that the American would be banned until May 22, 2012.

Kendrick had claimed that he had taken a capsule of Zija XM3 for the purpose of combating jetlag, not for performance enhancement purposes, and although the ITF had accepted his explanation of the circumstances, its press release had stated that it was a player’s responsibility to ensure that no prohibited substances entered his body.

The ITF had also noted that Kendrick had failed to include that he had taken the pill when filling out a form prior to his anti-doping test. On the form, Kendrick had been required to include any medication or supplements that he had taken over the past week.

In response to the omission, the ITF had noted that Kendrick, a veteran player, should have known the rules and that the American had appeared to have taken “an inappropriately relaxed approach to his doping responsibilities.”

MHA is a stimulant that is sometimes used by athletes such as weightlifters, but Kendrick argued that an Internet search of the ingredients of the supplement he had taken identified no prohibited substances.

Nowicki also remarked that the Court of Arbitration of Sport recently reduced the length of the suspension of Australian rugby player Kurt Foggo, who had also been suspended for an MHA offense, from two years to six months.

Kendrick wishes to have his ban shortened to three months in order to compete at the U.S. Open, which the 31-year-old has said will be his last one. Kendrick is not the only one who believes his suspension should be shortened, as he counted John McEnroe, Tom Gullikson, John Isner, Robert Ginepri, James Blake, Bobby Reynolds, and Michael Russell as supporters in a statement issued through his attorneys.

Additionally, Amer Delic recently spoke out in support of Kendrick, telling Tennis.com, “Robert will be first one to tell you that he made a mistake, but everyone will tell you that he didn’t do it with an intent to cheat and everyone will also tell you the punishment that he got is way too harsh. Especially if it’s compared to what Wayne Odesnik has served.”

Odesnik, another American player, had been suspended for two years for transporting vials of Human Growth Hormone into Australia in 2010. His sentence had later been reduced to one year after Odesnik cooperated with anti-doping authorities. Odesnik is currently ranked No. 161 in the world and won a Challenger event in Lexington, Kentucky last month.

In comparison, Delic believes that Kendrick deserves to have his suspension shortened, adding, “Even three months and repaying the money is ridiculous, but he is willing to compromise because all he wants to do is play his last US Open.”

What do you think of Kendrick’s 12-month suspension?

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Paula V.

Honestly, this is just as rediculous as Yanina Wickmayer being suspended for one year after inadvertently missing a drug test. Even though her suspension was lifted by the ITF, it only shows how poorly the WADA is managed.
Magazine

To this day, no one outside of the ITF knows what exactly the “cooperation” of Wayne Odesnik has entailed.
Magazine

To this day, no one outside of the ITF knows what exactly the “cooperation” of Wayne Odesnik has entailed.
Procircuit

He threw other players under the bus.

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