Posted at 3:52 p.m., Monday, July 30, 2007
Track: Sprinter Gatlin opens appeal of 8-year ban
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Olympic 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin faced tough odds today, the first day of an arbitration hearing to appeal a possible eight-year ban for doping.Gatlin tested positive for testosterone and other steroids in April 2006 but has said he doesn't know how steroids got into his system.
The hearing, closed to media and the public, is set to continue tomorrow, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has never lost a doping case.
Gatlin's attorney, John Collins, told The Washington Post in today's editions that Gatlin should get consideration for assisting USADA and federal investigators in the BALCO steroid investigation. Gatlin told the newspaper he met with Jeff Novitzky, the lead investigator in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative probe, and made calls, including at least one in Novitzky's presence, to his coach Trevor Graham.
Graham, contacted by The Associated Press today, had no comment. He was indicted by the BALCO grand jury last fall on charges of lying to federal investigators.
Collins did not return several phone and e-mail messages from the AP on Monday.
Graham has accused Oregon massage therapist Chris Whetstine of rubbing a steroid cream on Gatlin to trigger the positive test, and Whetstine has denied the allegations.
But Gatlin told the Washington Post that a personal dispute with Whetstine might have led the masseur to intentionally sabotage him.
