Erriyon Knighton Cleared by USADA After Provisional Suspension for Trenbolone (Tainted Meat Deemed Likely)

Given he's still pretty skinny I don't imagine he is genuinely regularly taking tren in his cycle, so I'm inclined to believe this. That is to say, that even if he was doping he'd probably be using other substances than tren. Want to see the full hearing though

Trenbolone? Really? Are we going to give this a pass?

"Eee was just trenning, mon..."

Tygart is lobbying for loosening consequences of coincidental contamination.

But is in the media talking out of the other side of his mouth trashing China for the circumstances and alleged cover-up of the swimmer hotel contamination case.

How does anyone reconcile the fact that if you allow free reign on the coincidental contamination excuse that it can and will be used in an intentional manner?

The US high-school idiot that just tried to dust the outside of his gatorade gummies with the substance is an idiot, but what is stopping the Nike Oregon Projects and Italian Athletics of the world from having a pre-researched/pre-tested excuse ready to roll when someone gets their microdosing timing wrong? gosh darned supplement. gosh darned caterer.

Anyone that follows college football would know how comically common it is for the team's trainers to magically find a batch of "workout powder X" that gosh golly comes from a supplier that has trace contamination. giant 360 pound wall of muscle player cleared, nothing to see here.

I just looked it up, and apparently trenbolone specifically is widely used to bulk cattle up. I don't know why but given that fact it's very plausible that you could test positive off meat. It's a shame if that's really what happened as he's definitely in a losing battle vs. public opinion

Who are the fastest clean guys you know of?

That's interesting. I guess what I'm most curious about is whether the steroids are still present in meat after slaughter and cooking.

I am really sorry to see that he was charged with taking tren, even though he was exonerated because this plants the seed of doubt and we do not know how common it is to have enough tren in the system from an ordinary American diet to know whether there is anything there. Suffice it to say, though, about his talent, this is a guy that was so fast in football for Hillsborough High School in Tampa as a freshman that the track coach, who was also one of the football coaches, told him he was running track and only a year after starting track, he was already going pro because he was the fastest in the world for his age. He ran 19.49 while he was still in high school, in April. Now, he had stagnated a bit since that high point of his career, time-wise, which is when some people start doping, but he was still really young and he had no reason to think that he, like Bolt, wouldn't reach the next level in time. What is known, though, is that tren is used in cattle production in this country and others, which should not be permitted, and so with the sensitivity of contemporary doping tests, we will continue to see these low grade positives in the sport.

Oh and I'm ostracized because I chose to eat a steak burrito?!?!

Darnit!!! This is a shame. Well he's off my list of favourites.

True. That's why you steer clear of the very perception. Coz once your reputation is damaged, there is no return.

It looks like trenbolone has a half life of 1 day, which means that the animal will have metabolized 50% of the dose by 24 hours after injection. The USDA also says "Certain steroid hormones have been approved for use at very low concentrations to increase the rate of weight gain and/or improve feed efficiency in beef cattle" meaning that they're given ultra low doses. This makes me think contaminated meat would then be quite rare (it would have to have been slaughtered in the perfect window of time - and why would you give a cow an injection to fatten it up right before slaughter?.

Yeah. It's ALL bs.

The problem at this level is that those deciding don't understand burdens of proof, and standards of proof.

Then, if a decision comes along that is faulty but clears the athlete, who has standing to appeal, if anyone? And to what tribunal? And on what possible grounds? And with what possibilities of sanction? I know the answers to such things, but others don't--so, we get "rulings" like these, the outcomes of which will affect not only other national athletes, but also international athletes, possibly adversely.

It's not an area that is well-developed, and it is an area about which nobody significant really cares, because the actual dollar amounts relative to the expenses incurred are nothing compared to other areas of the law.

And make no mistake, that is what this is about--administrative law in the first instance, but also other areas and levels.

And it is a complete embarrassment, but then again so are others areas of the law that rely on the APA and its interpretation via boards, tribunals, panels, etc. that are often made up of people who have no idea what they're doing.

Again, it's a symptom of a much larger systemic problem.

I'm not saying that he's "guilty", only that in the current environment, we can't accept the validity of this "ruling" on its face, and that--along with athlete malfeasance--is what now makes pro track largely suck. Everyone is responsible.

What must really suck is to be clean, and to even be in such a discussion, in such a context.

It's basically what you were all saying is every single athlete is one tainted me away from being perceived negatively. This is yet another reason the sport won't grow this is not even really possible in other mainstream sports lol. Our standards of excellence are a lot

So does this mean he’s doped up and I should pick him for the prediction contest or does it mean he had to stop doping and I shouldn’t pick him

Are you still banned from training while under provisional suspension? Last time I checked that was true. That's gonna seriously hurt him if it's still the case.

I'm surprised he took tren. Its a very potent steroid,with dangerous side effects,although i know sprinters and weightlifters take it. That explains all the sprinters you'll see with veins popping out on their arms and elsewhere. He really shouldn't be allowed to compete in the championships.

Yes. The details will illuminate the decision--but in what light, we don't yet know.

This is my take as well. I'm not by any means a steroid user or involved in that scene, but even I have heard trenbolone has a reputation as some scary stuff (you may have heard of 'tren cough', and it doesn't end there). It would be strange for a top-level guy like Knighton to be using a steroid that has been known about for decades, has crazy side effects, and is easily caught.

This is not to say I think Knighton is clean necessarily, just that his explanation for this finding is more plausible than the typical excuse.