I skimmed through most of the report. My two main findings:
(1) L-Carnitine injection methods and evidence tampering:
AlSal is adamant throughout not to give his athletes (other than Magness,
who may actually have been considered an athlete) more than the legal
limit.
However, some confusion around whether injections less than 50ml per 6 hour
needs to be reported to USADA. AlSal fires off email to USADA asking for
clarification, and then, skeptical that USADA will even respond (USADA
employees electing to not commit to anything, maybe due to uncertainty),
opines to colleagues that this is their documentary justification for not
mentioning sub-50ml injections in the future.
The only irrefutable evidence that someone went outside of legal limits
was with Magness, who received more than the 50ml per 6 hour limit using
IV injections. Confusion over whether he was an athlete and thus whether
this was legal or not. Magness himself seems unclear about his status,
choosing one or the other seemingly out of what best serves his interest
at the time.
Thoughts: This situation allegedly arose out of a last-minute scare AlSal
had with USADA inquiring about reported injections (subsequently declared
legal following appropriate documentation) for a particular athlete before
a competition and wishing to avoid such scares in the future.
If USADA had responded to AlSal email inquiring about what needs to be
reported, much of this could have been either avoided, or, if AlSal
still chose to do what he did, a clear indictment. As it is, this will
be challenged again (and it has already taken years).
(2) Testosterone experiment:
Rubbing medically prescribed testosterone gel on his two sons has been
ruled as an infraction of "selling, giving, transporting, sending,
delivering or distributing a Prohibited Substance ... to any third
party."
If someone is charged with violating this rule, a minimum ban of four years
must be prescribed.
Thoughts: There must be many land-mines silently waiting to go off. Indeed,
how many athletes routinely violate just this single rule, whether out of
ignorance, indifference, or ambition?
Final thoughts: I guess the smoking gun is (2), but it seems rather hollow and
founded on technicalities. AlSal clearly tries to do everything in his power
to give his program the edge, but was also clearly persistent -- almost to a
fault (denail of service attack) in getting the green light from USADA on
any new procedures or supplements he wanted to try out.