Drummond Suspended Eight Years for Doping Violations

Drummond Suspended Eight Years for Doping Violations

Dec 17, 2014 by Taylor Dutch
Drummond Suspended Eight Years for Doping Violations


On Wednesday the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency imposed an eight-year ban on U.S. track & field coach John Drummond for doping violations. 
 
Drummond, former coach of American sprinter Tyson Gay, was found guilty by an independent arbitration panel of possessing, trafficking and administering banned performance enhancing substances to an athlete under his care as a coach. 

Gay, the former world champion, tested positive in May 2013 for a banned substance and completed a year-long ban in July 2014. He was forced to return the silver medal he won with the U.S. 4x100m relay team at the London Olympics, and was disqualified from all races he participated in from July 2012. 
 
As a runner, Drummond was a former world record-holder and a member of the U.S. 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. Drummond coached U.S. Olympians and was the recent Chairman of the USA Track & Field Athletes Advisory Council. 
 
According to USADA.org, The AAA panel found “that Drummond failed to act in the manner expected of a coach of athletes in the Olympic Movement. A coach cannot lead an athlete into the danger of using prohibited substances….A coach must be a watchdog when it comes to prohibited substances.”
 
Drummond will serve an eight-year period of ineligibility beginning on Dec. 17, 2014, which prohibits him from coaching, training or advising athletes and participating or coaching at any event sanctioned by USA Track & Field, the International Association of Athletics Federations of any other WADA Code signatory.