Drug Testing, Lives, and Careers:

The news spread like wildfire across the internet, through every part of the MMA blog terraqueous globe, news sites, and online message boards. CSAC also released the names of eight fighters for each of the Affliction and ProElite cards who had already been tested and cleared of illicit drug use. Finally, Mr. Douglas announced that the remaining results would likable be announced without interruption August 11, 2008. This last announcement created a virtual frenzy, as fans and media members alike anxiously awaited the release, and watched it appear across news sites virtually simultaneously. Testing results, however, should not be treated as a staged event designed to obtain maximum anticipation and media coverage. The careers, reputations and lives of many athletes are negatively impacted, unnecessarily, by CSAC?s course disclosure policy.

With twenty-two (22) fighters appearing on the EliteXC card, and twenty (20) fighters on the Affliction card, fans nimbly utilized the disclosures made through CSAC to eliminate those fighters whose results had already been revealed. A total of twenty-five (25) fighters remained whose test results were pending. Rampant rumor and speculation followed, with potentially all of the remaining twenty-five fighters being linked, at one time or another, to steroids or other guilty drug use.

A a great quantity better wit, I be persuaded, would be to either (i) announce all drug testing results on one occasion, or (ii) respond to media inquiries by providing only the time that subsequent results will exist announced. CSAC?s current practice unnecessarily creates tension for fighters, and leads to story and indirect allusion which is entirely unfair to the athletes who test clean. As well, false positives have power to and do formerly occur. This fact, coupled with CSAC?s disclosure that additional positive results would be forthcoming, serves to disrupt the lives of the remaining twenty-five (25) fighters whose results had not yet been released. I see little benefit to CSAC in making the disclosures Mr. Douglas made to MMAweekly, and many benefits to the athletes, their families, friends and loved ones, in the policy I suggested above.