Athletes Blame Supplements For Failed Drug Test

Cris Cyborg Loses Title, J.C Romero Cashes In

Two athletes, with not match in common except perhaps athleticism. And oh, doping charges and blaming supplements. One is male, the other female. One is known for hurling a ball or striking one with a bat (and taking a walk too). The other is known for knocking opponents senseless. We are talking of Cris Cyborg (also known as Cristiane Santos), mixed martial artist fighter, female and J.C Romero, a baseball player/pitcher, needless to say the male.

Cris Cyborg recently issued an apology in English and Portuguese, to her fans and other interest parties on her official website, blaming health supplements for failing a drug test. The failed test cost her Strikeforce’s women’s featherweight title. Here's the English version:

I would like to sincerely apologize to StrikeForce, the Zuffa organization, Hiroko Yamanaka and my fans for my failed drug test.

I am ultimately responsible for everything I put in my body, and at the end of the day, there is no excuse for having a prohibited substance in my system. I do not condone the use of any performance enhancing drugs by myself or any other professional athlete, and willingly accept the penalties and fines that have been handed down to me by the California State Athletic Commission and those of the StrikeForce/Zuffa organization.

While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition. It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead StrikeForce, the Commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again! My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring. Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions.

I will do everything I can to show my fans that I can still compete at the professional level without the use of any prohibited substances, and ask God's forgiveness for my mistake.

Cris Santos - Curitiba, Brazil January 7th, 2012 See original here

As for Romero, he reportedly sued a number of known dietary supplements distributors, and won. Okay, we can't say for sure he "cashed" in as details of any settlement(s) were not disclosed. Hre's the story from Yahoo! Sports:

Relief pitcher J.C. Romero said he wanted to clear his name after getting suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball in 2009 after flunking a drug test. So, he did what we do best in America: He filed a lawsuit.

Nearly three years later: Great success!

The litigious left-handed specialist tells the New York Daily News that "justice is served" after his attorneys settled a suit against the makers and distributors of an otherwise approved supplement called 6-OXO Extreme. GNC, the Vitamin Shoppe, Ergopharm and Proviant Technologies had been put on the hook by Romero after a drug test found androstinedione in Romero's system in August 2008, when he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies. (You might remember andro from such classics as "Quit Looking in Mark McGwire's Locker!")

Romero, who won two games in the 2008 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, always claimed he had been wronged by a tainted supplement.

The story quoted above goes on to ask some questions that should be on many people's minds. Those who might be tempted to run out in search for 6-OXO Extreme may not be that lucky. A search at the major health supplements website brought up other types of supplements but not that particular one.

About Androstenedione Supplement

Those of us who have been around the sports (especially muscle/strength building) circles for a while are most likely familiar with Androstenedione (popularly known as andro). Here's a short history of this supplement as posted on Wikipedia:

Androstenedione was manufactured as a dietary supplement, often called andro (or andros) for short. Sports Illustrated credits Patrick Arnold for introducing androstenedione to the North American market. Andro was legal and able to be purchased over the counter, and, as a consequence, it was in common use in Major League Baseball throughout the 1990s by record-breaking sluggers like Mark McGwire. The supplement is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and hence from the Olympic Games.

Yours truly had tried Andro long before Mark McGwire made it famous and before many organizations banned it. If you are curious, it was a disappointment. Could be a case of nothing works for everybody.

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