Sprinter Gatlin gets 8-year ban

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's ruling strips him of his world record

RALEIGH -- Justin Gatlin, who shared the title of world's fastest man but tested positive for drugs in April, has been banned from track competition for eight years, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday.

USADA imposed the penalty as part of an agreement with Gatlin in which he was spared a potential lifetime ban.

Under the agreement, Gatlin, who trained in the Triangle and owns a home in Raleigh, accepted the validity of his positive drug test and agreed to cooperate with anti-doping authorities.

But the 2004 Olympic 100-meter champion, who continues to maintain that he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs, retained the right to appeal the length of his suspension. If he can get it cut by half, Gatlin, 24, could be eligible for the 2012 Olympics.

Gatlin is staying with his parents in Pensacola, Fla., and could not be reached for comment.

His attorney, John Collins, an expert in sports law, said, "I believe the evidence will show that this doesn't merit anything close to an eight-year penalty."

Travis Tygart, USADA's general counsel, said a reduction in the penalty is possible if Gatlin provides substantial assistance with doping investigations or can prove he had no knowledge of how drugs were introduced into his body.

"We'll see what facts they use to justify a further reduction," Tygart said in a phone interview. "They will have to be compelling."

Regardless of how Gatlin's appeal concludes, his agreement to accept the test result means he will be stripped of the 100-meter world record of 9.77 seconds he shared with Jamaica's Asafa Powell. He tied that record in May, three weeks after testing positive at the Kansas Relays.

He could have been banned for life because the positive test in April was a second offense, but USADA accepted his first violation as unintentional.

The first doping charge occurred when Gatlin was running at the University of Tennessee. He failed to disclose he was taking a prescription medication for Attention Deficit Disorder that contains an amphetamine. An appeals panel agreed that the failure was inadvertent. It cut Gatlin's two-year suspension in half but left the offense on his record with a warning that a second instance could bring a lifetime ban.

Collins handled Gatlin's first case and thinks he can get a similar result this time.

"In that [first] case, the hearing panel found he neither cheated nor intended to cheat, and I think the same kind of situation applies here," Collins said. "Today is not the last day. Justin is very honest and forthcoming and will continue to be, and when all is said and done, people will recognize that."

USADA hopes Gatlin can help with its investigation into other athletes and coaches who may be taking drugs or encouraging their use. One potential target is Gatlin's coach, Trevor Graham of Raleigh. At least a half dozen athletes who have been associated with Graham have been suspended by USADA for doping violations. The United States Olympic Committee recently banned Graham from its training facilities.

Graham's attorney, Joe Zeszotarski, issued a statement saying Graham "completely supports Justin Gatlin and his efforts to get reinstated. Trevor knows he has done nothing wrong in his relationship with Justin or any of his athletes and only wants the truth to come out."

USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth, who pushed for Graham's ban from USOC training facilities, expressed hope that Gatlin's agreement with USADA will uncover others who violate the drug code.

"[Gatlin] can play a meaningful role in solving a problem that is reaching a crisis level in American sport," Ueberroth said in a statement. "If there are others who, in any way, are complicit in Justin's doping offense, they too must step forward and accept responsibility for their actions. To profit from your involvement in sport while knowingly participating in doping is fraud, and it should not be condoned."

Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field, sounded a similar note in a statement.

"While we are glad Justin has taken responsibility for his positive test and will cooperate in USADA's anti-doping efforts, we are sorely disappointed in him," Masback said. "This case is a clear signal that we must redouble our efforts and seek ways to deter drug use and to punish anyone who may influence athletes to use drugs."