Olympic champ faces doping ban for ExtenZe use

Reigning Olympic and world 400-meter track champion LaShawn Merritt faces a two-year suspension for what he said was use of an
over-the-counter male enhancement product that he did not know
contained the banned substance DHEA.

Merritt, 23, of Portsmouth, Va., was found positive for DHEA, a steroid, in three successive out-of-competition tests from October, 2009, through January 2010.

He called his use of the product a “foolish, immature and egotistical mistake.”

Doug Logan, the chief executive of USA Track &
Field, said via telephone that Merritt had “sullied his career and put
an unfortunate stigma on himself he is going to be living down the rest
of his life.”

Merritt has decided to accept a provisional
suspension and not compete until his case is resolved. That would mean
he would miss the 2010 season unless he asks for an expedited hearing.

His attorney, Howard Jacobs, said via telephone Merritt has yet to decide about seeking quicker resolution of the case.

Merritt apologized for his mistake in the Thursday release from Jacobs that revealed the positive tests.

“To know I have tested positive as a result of a
product I used for personal reasons is extremely difficult to wrap my
hands around,” Merritt said in the statement. “I hope my sponsors,
family, friends and the sport itself will forgive me for making such a
foolish, immature and egotistical mistake.

“Any penalty I may receive for my action I may
receive for my action will not overshadow the embarrassment and
humiliation I feel.”

Jacobs said Merritt’s appeal would be based on the “exceptional circumstances rule—no fault or no significant fault.”

The three tests will be treated as a single
positive. By accepting the provisional suspension in early April, any
ban would begin from that date rather than a later date if Merritt had
decided to keep competing.

Logan said the Merritt’s admission “indicates an
extraordinary lack of maturity and an absence of the responsibility
necessary to be a world-class athlete. We are disgusted by this.

“This is not frivolous. It is something he selfishly
did, as he acknowledges. This young man is going to find himself the
object of a lot of unnecessary jokes.”

In the statement, Merritt admitted he had not read the “fine print” on the product, which the Chicago Tribune has learned was ExtenZe.

Such lack of knowledge is generally not a viable defense in doping cases.

———

(c) 2010, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.