Davy’s mouthwash misfortune has lessons for GAA
What happened to him should be of major concern to all GAA players and indeed the public in general.
In a pre-race test, Russell was found to have excess alcohol in his system. He quickly protested his innocence and offered a cast iron defence – he hadn’t drank alcohol that morning, the night before or indeed at any time over the previous 15 years.
A second test showed his system to be free of alcohol and he was around to race that afternoon.
It seems an oral mouthwash was to blame for the excessive reading.
While it worked out well for Russell, there are serious questions which need to be asked and, perhaps, the GPA needs to press the case on behalf of their players.
Ponder the following: if Russell had drank a pint, or a glass or two of wine the night before, it’s quite possible he would have accepted the first verdict, cursing his luck and wondering why it hadn’t gone through his system quicker. He would have been roundly condemned and his image in tatters.
The onus is on the anti-doping testers to have a foolproof system. A person’s reputation – and in Russell’s case, earning capacity – can’t be played with.
GAA players are sometimes tested after matches and while there is a lot of advice and guidelines regarding what to take – or not – this incident does not inspire confidence. Remember all the adverse publicity that surrounded Aidan O’Mahony a few years ago who failed a test after using an inhaler to treat his asthma.
You just can’t have guys going around testing athletes and the public in general, when the system being operated is faulty. The onus is not on the athlete to prove his/her innocence. The system itself must be above reproach.
The GPA and all sports bodies have some serious questions to put to the anti-doping bodies.
