USADA bans track coach Stewart for life

When an anti-doing agency talks about "aggravating circumstances," think of the following case...

 USADA bans track coach Stewart for life

(AFP) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Raymond Stewart, who coached disgraced US sprinter Jerome Young, has been slapped with a lifetime ban, the US Anti-Doping Agency announced on Monday.

Stewart was kicked out of the sport for life by USADA for obtaining performance-enhancing drugs for his athletes. It was determined by an arbitration panel that he purchased drugs from Angel Memo Heredia who has been named in similar drugs probes of coach Trevor Graham and American sprinter Crystal Cox. Like Graham, Stewart was born in Jamaica.

"Violating the sacred responsibility and standards of a coach by aiding athletes with doping is truly reprehensible," USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said.

Steward competed in four Olympics for Jamaica, specializing in the 100 metres. He won a silver medal in the 400-metre relay at the 1984 Games. He was the first athlete to reach three straight Olympic 100 metre finals.

He joins Graham and Remi Korchemny as the third coach to be banned for life for assisting athletes in getting and injesting drugs.

Young was on the USA's 1,600-metre, gold-medal relay team at the 2000 Olympics but has since been banned for life for doping.

Others Stewart coached, include JJ Johnson, a member of the U.S. 2003 world champion 400-metre relay team; Kenny Brokenburr, a member of America's gold-medal, 400-metre team from the 2000 Games; and three-time Olympic medalist Jamaican Beverly McDonald. Stewart and McDonald eventually got married.

At the 2009 Penn Relays in New York, Stewart was honoured by Team Jamaica Bickle for his contribution to athletics.

And for a more nuanced view of "Aggravating Circumstances," (which should soon become a hot topic for British Cycling), see this legal opinion from WADA:

10.6 Aggravating Circumstances Which May Increase the Period of Ineligibility

If the Anti-Doping Organization establishes in an individual case involving an anti-doping rule violation other than violations under Article 2.7 (Trafficking) and 2.8 (Administration) that aggravating circumstances are present which justify the imposition of a period of Ineligibility greater than the standard sanction, then the period of Ineligibility otherwise applicable shall be increased up to a maximum of four years unless the Athlete or other Person can prove to the comfortable satisfaction of the hearing panel that he did not knowingly violate the anti-doping rule.

An Athlete or other Person can avoid the application of this Article by admitting the anti-doping rule violation as asserted promptly after being confronted with the anti-doping rule violation by an Anti-Doping Organization.

Comment to Article 10.6: Examples of aggravating circumstances which may justify the imposition of a period of Ineligibility greater than the standard sanction are: the Athlete or other Person committed the anti-doping rule violation as part of a doping plan or scheme, either individually or involving a conspiracy or common enterprise to commit anti-doping rule violations; the Athlete or other Person used or possessed multiple Prohibited Substances or Prohibited Methods or used or possessed a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method on multiple occasions; a normal individual would be likely to enjoy the performance enhancing effects of the anti-doping rule violation(s) beyond the otherwise applicable period of Ineligibility; the Athlete or Person engaged in deceptive or obstructing conduct to avoid the detection or adjudication of an anti-doping rule violation.

For the avoidance of doubt, the examples of aggravating circumstances described in this Comment to Article 10.6 are not exclusive and other aggravating factors may also justify the imposition of a longer period of Ineligibility. Violations under Article 2.7 (Trafficking) and 2.8 (Administration) are not included in the application of Article 10.6 because the sanctions for these violations (from four years to lifetime Ineligibility) already build in sufficient discretion to allow consideration of any aggravating circumstance.