STEROID
12-05-2011, 02:18 PM
UBC rugby player tests positive for steroids, receives two year ban
sports 12/4/11
The UBC rugby team says they have moved on after one of their players was banned for steroid use.
Jeff McKinnon, a flanker for the UBC Thunderbirds, tested positive for testosterone and bolderone while playing for the BC Bears in the Canadian Rugby Championships in August.
He was issued a ban at the beginning of November by the International Rugby Board (IRB) that will keep him out of the sport for two years.
“It’s been business as usual,” said Spence McTavish, coach of the men’s rugby team. “I’m pretty surprised how a lot of the guys have taken it. They’ve been straightforward, and just said, ‘Hey, we just move on.’”
But McTavish said it was initially a surprise.
“It took me by surprise and was a bit of a shock,” he said. “It’s the first time anyone on our team has ever been tested positive, but some students use illegal means to get stronger, [and] it’s not something that we simply condone.”
McKinnon, a kinesiology student, transferred to UBC from Capilano in 2010, where he was a human kinetics student.
He played for the Thunderbirds for one year, and will likely graduate before his suspension ends in 2013.
“It comes at a pretty strategic time in his career,” McTavish said. “He’d already played for the men’s provincial team, and maybe down the line he might get some kind of a look at a national team situation, but who knows.”
According to McTavish, it was the first time at UBC that he met someone who was doping. “I’m pretty sure he’d be the only guy that I know who uses some drugs to enhance,” he said. “They’re people in all sports that do it. Maybe they’re smarter than Jeff, I don’t know. Maybe they’re luckier than Jeff.”
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport administered the test and banned McKinnon, who competed in wrestling and football in high school, from any CCES sports for two years. The IRB also adopted the ban.
The IRB didn’t disclose the specifics on McKinnon’s violation and McKinnon waived his right to a hearing.
With the lack of available information, Alex Kam, UBC’s rugby team captain, didn’t want to discuss hypotheticals.
“We all agree that doping is wrong. It has no part in the game,” said Kam. “But we don’t really know all of Jeff’s story.”
Kam said the nature of selects competition is something all the players are aware of. “We’re all well aware of the rules and stuff, especially when you play for the provincial men’s team,” he said. “We’re all aware of what we can and cannot take.”
“I know that last year [McKinnon] picked up a shoulder injury. It was taking a long time to heal,” McTavish said. “He may have maybe taken something to maybe get that thing fixed faster…Maybe he just wasn’t thinking.
“Some players have goals. They want to achieve that goal, and they’ll go to any means to get to it. I know Jeff, he’s a wonderful young man; he’s bright, he’s articulate, he’s just a super-nice kid. He made a mistake.”
McTavish said he had spoken to his squad about the issue. “I talked to the players about his situation and just informed them that that’s not the road you want to go down,” he said.
“If you get caught, you say goodbye to any competition at the university. We’ve got a lot of kids that are coming up for the Canada U-19 team and that stuff,” he said. “They may be more mentally coerced into maybe trying stuff, but Jeff was a little older. I think he knew perfectly well what the scoop was if he tested positive.”
But according to McTavish, it’s not something that has made for much locker room talk.
“One of our guys made a mistake. He made a mistake, he pays the price. We just move on.”
sports 12/4/11
The UBC rugby team says they have moved on after one of their players was banned for steroid use.
Jeff McKinnon, a flanker for the UBC Thunderbirds, tested positive for testosterone and bolderone while playing for the BC Bears in the Canadian Rugby Championships in August.
He was issued a ban at the beginning of November by the International Rugby Board (IRB) that will keep him out of the sport for two years.
“It’s been business as usual,” said Spence McTavish, coach of the men’s rugby team. “I’m pretty surprised how a lot of the guys have taken it. They’ve been straightforward, and just said, ‘Hey, we just move on.’”
But McTavish said it was initially a surprise.
“It took me by surprise and was a bit of a shock,” he said. “It’s the first time anyone on our team has ever been tested positive, but some students use illegal means to get stronger, [and] it’s not something that we simply condone.”
McKinnon, a kinesiology student, transferred to UBC from Capilano in 2010, where he was a human kinetics student.
He played for the Thunderbirds for one year, and will likely graduate before his suspension ends in 2013.
“It comes at a pretty strategic time in his career,” McTavish said. “He’d already played for the men’s provincial team, and maybe down the line he might get some kind of a look at a national team situation, but who knows.”
According to McTavish, it was the first time at UBC that he met someone who was doping. “I’m pretty sure he’d be the only guy that I know who uses some drugs to enhance,” he said. “They’re people in all sports that do it. Maybe they’re smarter than Jeff, I don’t know. Maybe they’re luckier than Jeff.”
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport administered the test and banned McKinnon, who competed in wrestling and football in high school, from any CCES sports for two years. The IRB also adopted the ban.
The IRB didn’t disclose the specifics on McKinnon’s violation and McKinnon waived his right to a hearing.
With the lack of available information, Alex Kam, UBC’s rugby team captain, didn’t want to discuss hypotheticals.
“We all agree that doping is wrong. It has no part in the game,” said Kam. “But we don’t really know all of Jeff’s story.”
Kam said the nature of selects competition is something all the players are aware of. “We’re all well aware of the rules and stuff, especially when you play for the provincial men’s team,” he said. “We’re all aware of what we can and cannot take.”
“I know that last year [McKinnon] picked up a shoulder injury. It was taking a long time to heal,” McTavish said. “He may have maybe taken something to maybe get that thing fixed faster…Maybe he just wasn’t thinking.
“Some players have goals. They want to achieve that goal, and they’ll go to any means to get to it. I know Jeff, he’s a wonderful young man; he’s bright, he’s articulate, he’s just a super-nice kid. He made a mistake.”
McTavish said he had spoken to his squad about the issue. “I talked to the players about his situation and just informed them that that’s not the road you want to go down,” he said.
“If you get caught, you say goodbye to any competition at the university. We’ve got a lot of kids that are coming up for the Canada U-19 team and that stuff,” he said. “They may be more mentally coerced into maybe trying stuff, but Jeff was a little older. I think he knew perfectly well what the scoop was if he tested positive.”
But according to McTavish, it’s not something that has made for much locker room talk.
“One of our guys made a mistake. He made a mistake, he pays the price. We just move on.”