PGA Tour Announces An Anti-Doping Suspension

The unthinkable has occurred: the PGA Tour went public with a performance-enhancing substance violation and suspension. No details beyond the length of suspension and the name of the player were released.

November 2, 2009

From the Office of the Commissioner:


The PGA TOUR announced today that Doug Barron has violated the PGA TOUR Anti-Doping Policy's ban on the use of performance-enhancing substances and has been suspended for one year. The suspension will commence immediately.  This is the first suspension under the PGA TOUR Anti-Doping Program.

"I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the TOUR or its players resulting from my suspension. I want my fellow TOUR members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on TOUR," said Barron.

The TOUR will have no further comment on the suspension at this time.

So a year suspension for what he says was an unintentional attempt? Sounds like the tour did not agree.

I know the commissioner has been very transparent in saying that he resisted this program because--"We had to deal with that from a defensive standpoint from an image perspective"--but you'd to at least think they wouldn't make the first suspendee apologize for an image chink in the press release?

How about, I'm sorry I did this to my body, setting a terrible example for the youth of America.

Or maybe even no comment beyond a simple apology?

Either way, maybe Barron started using some physique building stuff after this odd photo of him ran on ESPN.com a few years ago.

Anyone know why he wasn't wearing his shirt? **Jason Sobel explained the incident here.

Comments

[court]

4 starts in 2009 - 3 missed cuts - 1 DQ....which sort of puts this in the "if a tree falls in the woods..." catagory.

[thusgone]

i'm with court. it's a pain-free way for the tour to be "tough on drugs."

[B-Man]

3 out of the 5 prescription meds that i take are banned by the Tour ... my golf game hasn't improved by taking them! i like to think i follow the Tour pretty closely, and i've never heard of this guy! +1 to the above.

[OWGR Fan]

Shaun Micheel had to have his doctor change his prescribed treatment/drugs for his low testosterone condition so that he would not test positive.

The cynic in me says this is nothing but a little window dressing served up for the IOC and WADA.

[Jim]

is there a link for the banned list?

[oops]

This could be interesting.
http://scoregolf.com/blog/bob-weeks/2009/october/did-troubled-canadian-doc-helped-woods.cfm

[Average Golfer]

Oh, that Doug Barron?

[sodface]

Say it ain't so, Doug!