OTT? - Keeper Kenny gets nine-month ban

[Squiggles]

Sheffield United keeper Paddy Kenny has been suspended from all football for nine months for failing a drugs test.

The 31-year-old tested positive for a banned substance, ephedrine, following last season's Championship play-off semi-final second leg against Preston.

And while a statement read "its use was not intended to enhance performance", Kenny was found guilty by the Football Association's Regulatory Commission.

The suspension dates back to 22 July, meaning he can return in April, 2010.

In addition, Kenny will be subject to target testing for a period of two years, while he was also ordered to pay the costs of the hearing.

Commission chairman, Christopher Quinlan, said: "Whilst we found that the player satisfied us on the balance of probabilities that the substance was not taken with the intention of enhancing sporting performance, his admitted conduct displayed significant fault.

606: DEBATE
Is Kenny's punishment just?

"A professional sportsman has a strict responsibility to ensure prohibited substances do not enter his/her body.

"In this instance Mr Kenny knowingly ingested an over-the-counter medicine above the prescribed dosage without reading the accompanying package or leaflet and without reference to his club's doctor or other medical staff.

"It is incumbent upon all professional footballers to understand the perils and dangers of so doing and to act in the way he did showed in our judgment a complete disregard for those responsibilities."

However, United manager Kevin Blackwell hinted the club could well appeal against the length of the suspension.

"The Commission accepted he didn't take the drug for performance enhancing, it was a course of tablets to relieve his chest - so we're a little surprised he's been done for nine months.

"I don't understand the length of the ban. It's unbelievable.

"The reasoning will be submitted to the powers that be in the next 48 hours and we'll have a look at it. There is every chance of appealing against this, but at the moment we'll look at all our options.

"Paddy's devastated. At no time did he think it would come to this - it's a major lesson to every sportsman or woman out there. This case shows that before a player takes anything out of his medicine cabinet he has to check it intently."

Kenny, a former Republic of Ireland international, has made nearly 300 appearances for the Blades since joining in 2002.

If they accepted that it wasn't done with performance enhancing in mind, then a 9 month penalty seems awfully steep to me.

You can understand them being this strict in Athletics, for instance, but in football I'd seriously question the logic in adopting a similarly tough stance. I guess to avoid this mess footballers should solely stick to using the clubs medics whenever they're ill, but nonetheless I sympathise with his punishment.

 

[Delinquent]

Ephedrine is widely used in weight loss supplements. The pie eating fucker was probably trying to drop a few pounds.

 

[drizzt]

So he's been banned for 9 months for taking cough medicine.

 

[gareth_thomas]

haha bit daft.

 

[Fox]

Ephedrine used to be available freely even in shops like boots.

It was banned a few years ago and gym bods who missed the training kick and appetite suppresent benefits of ephedrine used to buy shits loads of "chesteze" which was for coughs/bad chests, it has a small dose of ephedrine in it and they used to buy one or two from every chemist.

Now ephedrine is not banned so if he wanted to take ephedrine for weight loss (like Shane Warne did when he was banned a few yrs ago) then surely he would have just bought some, not got a small dose within a chest medicine.

Stupid yes, cheat no, bit harsh.

If he was not a lard arse they would have believed him

 

[Rosco]

It's hard to know what to make of it. Everyone caught taking PED's claims to have taken a legal medicine for some reason or other. And I read recently that 15% of sports supplements tested by WADA were found to contain enough of one PED or another to cause a failed drugs test.

I would have presumed if Ephedrine was a banned substance it shouldn't be used in any over the counter medicines at all.

 

[Stulikesdrums]

Am I right in saying that the FA ackonwledged yesterday that Kenny did not take the drug as a performance enhancer, yet still gave him a ban?

 

[keniget]

I still associate Sheffield Utd with Neil Warnock and those stupid relegation claims, so can't help but be happy about any misfortune they suffer.

 

[FoxForceFive]

they did, but poss just to save the games image. How the fuck would they know how he's taken it?

As ross said, all athletes claim it's an accident, being lenient is setting the wrong example. Was it a performance enhancing drug? Yes. End of IMO.

I also find it hard to believe a footy player takes over the counter remedies without checking. I know for a fact our players from teens up are told you dont take a thing without checking with them first. They have a member of medical staff who.s job that is FFS.

 

[gkmacca]

If Agger ever needs Lemsip we're fecked.

 

[Rosco]

"A professional sportsman including a football player has a strict responsibility to ensure prohibited substances do not enter his/her body. In this instance Kenny knowingly ingested an over-the-counter medicine above the prescribed dosage without reading the accompanying package or leaflet and without reference to his club's doctor or other staff."


It's this paragraph that makes me wonder whether he did take Chesteze or whether he was taking an ECA stack. Presumably the recommended daily dosage of Chesteze is such that you wouldn't fail a drugs test ? How much over the expected levels was he ?

 

[jexykrodic]

Nobody can know what was in the mind of the individual at the time but I'd err on the side of ignorance rather than intentions of enhancing performance.

That said, general ignorance can't be used as a defense and therefore he should be punished.

Banning him for a season (effectively) will send out a powerful message for others in the game to ensure they are professional at all times.

 

[Mors]

[quote author=Delinquent link=topic=35707.msg939894#msg939894 date=1252367025]
Ephedrine is widely used in weight loss supplements. The pie eating fucker was probably trying to drop a few pounds.
[/quote]

Poorly chest my arse. the fat cunt was trying to shed weight. They should have checked his blood for high levels of caffeine and asprin at the same time.

9month ban for being a fat cunt is a bit harsh though? Not exactly 'performance' enhancing is it.

 

[themn]

I think the chemist who sold it to him is a West Ham supporter.

 

[Squiggles]

Hahaha

 

[Atlas]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35707.msg939938#msg939938 date=1252397150]
I would have presumed if Ephedrine was a banned substance it shouldn't be used in any over the counter medicines at all.
[/quote]


Caffeine was on the banned substances list for ages.

 

[Asbo]

Weight Suppresents??? ME???

 

[iseered]

9 months is appropriate punishment for being borderline retarded.

 

[gkmacca]

Both of these fine men warned him, but still he swallowed it.

 

[cochyn]

[quote author=Asim link=topic=35707.msg940051#msg940051 date=1252408664]
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35707.msg939938#msg939938 date=1252397150]
I would have presumed if Ephedrine was a banned substance it shouldn't be used in any over the counter medicines at all.
[/quote]


Caffeine was on the banned substances list for ages.
[/quote]

was there a limit on how much caffeine as stopping a sportsman drinking tea/coffee/soft drinks seems a bit harsh

 

[Vlads Quiff]

As to if he took it knowingly or not, he took it.
If he had got off, everyone up in front of the panel on the same charge are going to come up with the same excuse, using the Kenny case as a precedent.

regards