"It's all for show."

GolfDigest.com's Matthew Rudy notes that Doug Barron's previous use of beta blockers may have behind his suspension. An as someone who has done quite a bit of reporting on the subjects, Rudy reminds us of several loopholes in drug testing

Say Barron really is the only one to fail a test in the 15 months the tour has been running its program. All that proves is that he didn't find one of the loopholes in the banned drug list. And if he's not the first person to fail, the Tour's drug testing program serves the exact, cynical purpose Yesalis said many sports leagues' programs do.

It's all for show.

Comments

[Gregglink]

I agree with this. This entire incident it just too nicely packaged for me. The Tour needed someone to fail this test just to keep it going. So they found someone that most people have never heard of, and won't really care about, to be the fall guy.

Then Barron comes right out and apologizes and accepts a year suspension?? Where's the outrage and the fight. We all know how much money is at stake for a guy like this and he just accepts it?

Well done by the Tour - a nice neat package that no one will question and they now can tell us forever how great the program is working.

[Wisconsin Reader]

Hmm - Geoff and Gregglink are quite the conspiracy theorists on this issue and story?
Could it not be that Barron is simply guilty and decided to suck it up and take his punishment? . . . There is very little reason to burn bridges with the PGA Tour and to spend lots of money fighting when the outcome is obvious. . . Barron might need a break anyway - work out (clean) and start getting ready for 2011 and ultimately the Champions Tour.

[court]

These are a lot of "conclusions" to draw based on no evidence. We don't know what he tested positive for.

A basic principle of logic that Rudy needs to learn - you can't prove a negative.

[Chuck]

I was just about to ask that; in fact, I meant to ask earlier... Does anybody know what it was that Barron got busted for? Was it a Beta-Blocker second-offense?

I guess that what is weird to me is how hard would it be to get a 'script for them, and go to the tour (sorry; I meant the TOUR) and get a waiver? In fact, if it was beta-blockers, I wonder how Doug Barron got them, if it weren't a prescription?