Lads, obviously this should be taken seriously, but i think a note of caution should be heeded here. Firstly the list of banned substances for athletes is huge and changes from year to year. Some are put on and some are taken off. If you go into any gym and see all the supplements they have on offer in there in the supplement section, while not illegal for your average Joe, many of the ingredients would be on a banned list. I heard a story of an Irish rugby player refusing to take a protein supplement on a lions tour as he was unsure of its ingredients.

Now whatever about full time pro athletes with full medical teams around them, but I can easily see how an amateur player could find themselves in hot water through use of something that seemed very innocent at the time.

I also feel that as he is an amateur sportsperson partaking in a hobby his identity should be protected, he has to go out into the world a find a job. We all make mistakes in life and having it plastered over the papers isn't helpful in my view.

supermon (Monaghan) - Posts: 1073 - 10/05/2015 14:52:36    1722039

Agree Supermon 100% ,
Too many on here cant tell the difference , or dont want to tell the difference between an amature sportsman and a professional who if he cheats gains monetarily ,
In the so called biting incidents involving Dublin players I urged caution until facts are known . I would urge caution again , if the person involved is gulity they theres a massive gray area , while our sport is an amature organisation it recieves funding from the sports council of Ireland , which by default we have bought into their doping policy .
Id say we have a duty of care to look after our young men from a health point of view , education , rehabilitation not go looking for the guillotine at first opportunity .
Im for random dope testing as I believe we need to try our best to keep sport clean , equally if players are going to be tempted we have do everything to stop them going down a road thats ultimatley a danger to their health .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 10/05/2015 16:35:02    1722073

the poor young man.. I don't think this is big enough to be national news

sxckev (Mayo) - Posts: 211 - 10/05/2015 16:48:43    1722081

Yeah, there's no reason to jump to conclusions, a good friend of mine needed an inhaler and was 'caught' a number of times, cause the inhaler contained steroids that helped his airway stay open. They are different from the jabs taken by bodybuilders, but the tests were just general ones. On a close inspection, he was always cleared but it was the pain in arse to constantly defend himself. Lay off the lad, whether its accidental or intentional, his life will have to go on. No need for an amateur athlete to have his working career ruined or ended before it has a chance to begin.

kilflynn (Kerry) - Posts: 66 - 10/05/2015 17:16:49    1722092

@damothedub, how is it a grey area? If he knowingly took a PED, he cheated. It seems fairly black and white to me. And if he did knowingly take PEDs, he should be banned accordingly, which I believe is 2 years for a first offence. As cavanman47 pointed out, there's a financial aspect to it, with gate receipts, etc. for the county board, plus the benefits an individual might gain from breaking into the senior team, amateurism shouldn't be a cop out in some circumstances.

extranjero (Wexford) - Posts: 375 - 10/05/2015 17:17:39    1722094

Why are people going mental when nobody knows the full story ?

TheRightStuff (Donegal) - Posts: 1688 - 10/05/2015 19:35:19    1722184

would wait until the full details are known but gaa should eradicate peds quickly...agree with mesamis..dont want to be burying our heads in the sand like other sports are

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 10/05/2015 19:46:18    1722191

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 1847

1722191 would wait until the full details are known but gaa should eradicate peds quickly...agree with mesamis..dont want to be burying our heads in the sand like other sports are

If you check my previous posts you will see that IVE already given reasons as to why Iam anti doping , however we are not like other sports fact , Where does the line begin and end , county players , county players in receipt of funding , players who are on minor or u21 panels , hell lets have a look at development squads . Should individual county boards be looking at senior club level players ? Imagine the cost . If a lad drops off a panel goes back to his day to day job playing for his club , how long afterwards is he liable for testing etc
Maybe IM just not in the Loop , but aside from opinions can anyone state categorically what the guidelines are ?

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 11/05/2015 13:58:16    1722447

I believe he was trailing for the county recently so perhaps that's how he was tested.
Would wait to get more details though before tut tuting as some have already which is snide at best.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 11/05/2015 17:55:57    1722547

Before slating the man for using Performance Enhancing Drugs. A nutritional supplement can have any quantity of banned substances that are not marked clearly on the label. A great example of this is supplement contamination, on the Irish Sports council website you will find a study done scientifically that shows that supplements bought from various sources upto 15% of these supplements were contaminated with banned substances that where not on WADAS banned substance list, a list which is changed year by year. So until the full details come out about what substance the player in question has "taken" the media should let it cool down as this could of been a genuine mistake as the supplement could of contained a banned substance. The most common banned substance found in supplements is stanozolol, a substance which is seen as the number 1 steroid for promoting muscle growth.

waffles22 (Monaghan) - Posts: 1 - 11/05/2015 20:22:35    1722590

Aye everyone should calm down until we have more specifics. Sometimes a cough bottle can be on a banned list, in which case this guy should be given a break. We all assume that there are steroids involved. There is a huge chance that there is not in this case.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 11/05/2015 21:14:00    1722603

I would not jump to any quick conclusion on this one. There are literally hundred of everyday medications that we all take either on a continuous or occasional basis that could result in a positive WADA/Irish Sports Council drug test e.g. most asthma medications, most cough bottles, many painkillers / headache medications etc, etc.

The likelehood here is that this lad was on some medication or took a cough bottle without filling out a Therapeutic Exemption form signed by the team medical officer (as was the case with Aidan O'Mahony with his asthma medication) and that it is just a technical error rather than a performance enhancing doping issue. However reporting such an error does not make any sensational media headlines so banner headlines reading "GAA Player Fails Drug Test" or "GAA Player In Doping Scandal" etc., etc., are much more dramatic for media purposes.

Remember all GAA players are amateur, have jobs & families to support & like the rest of us go to their local GP for treatment of a cough / cold etc. (or indeed to their local pharmacy) rather that to their county team medical officer and be routinely prescribed / given a medication that is on the Sports Council "banned" list.

This lad should be given a break and should not be the subject of national media scrutiny. I have huge sympathy for him at this present time.

dingle2 (Kerry) - Posts: 278 - 12/05/2015 13:41:15    1722773

Some of the comments here are ridiculous, I actually hope its just ignorance to the term 'doping' and the usual uninformed attitude towards 'steroids' you get in nearly every man who walks into an office in Ireland and takes a protein shake is looked at like he's a needle hanging out of his arm.

I'm 100% against doping of amateur players, this is getting out of hand - the GAA refuses to pay these men as professionals despite sitting on an absolute fortune, but they'll test them as professionals?

Obviously we don't know the details, or which 'steroid' this lad is alleged to have taken but I can 100% bet its something ridiculous like a pre workout drink (which pretty much everyone takes, why? They work). Sure they enhance performance. but again, amateur game. Does make this lad a 'cheat'? If so, cancel all club games from here in, because the rise of this industry means at least 25 of 30 lads you'll see on a pitch any given Sunday is a 'cheat' - in fact, I'll even call myself a cheat if this is your view because I take them myself but really only for gym work.

Now if its a systematic taking of something like EPO, which I really, really doubt (purely for the fact 'steroids' are NOT cheap) then perhaps this needs to be looked at going forward and I can maybe open my mind up more to the arguments put forward here but the facts need to be known before judging someone. I would prefer this player is never named to be honest because Irish society has a stigman about this type of thing when I'm willing to bet the player has done nothing wrong.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 12/05/2015 18:23:58    1722929

@GetOverTheBar 100% agree with that. Some posters are jumping the gun on this saying we have a problem in our game and the GAA can't ignore it et cetera. The reality is much different. They do work/study i.e., live a life just like the rest of us and the idea that some of the substances they are 'caught' for are routine run of the mill medications or supplements is crazy. If you are sick and you don't have the luxury of a full medical staff to determine the best course of treatment. For nutrition and training you very much have to do the work yourself. This lad was not in the set up, did not have the benefit of the full advice from county set up and did not feature in the league. IF, and its a big IF, he has been systematically 'doping' then that's entirely different. Only in that outcome do we really need to worry about our sport. I never once encountered anything of that nature and I would be amazed if its blows up it has in other sports (athletics, cycling, lower levels of rugby union in the uk).

seanfinn (Monaghan) - Posts: 360 - 12/05/2015 18:42:24    1722933

Our u14 manager gave us a few mint mentos sweets at half time when 7 points down. Won the game handy in the end.
Dont know what was in them but it gave us a big boost. Good job no testers after the game or we would have been in trouble

KY4SAM2015 (Kerry) - Posts: 898 - 12/05/2015 18:54:00    1722939

seanfinn
County: Monaghan
Posts: 83

1722933
@GetOverTheBar 100% agree with that. Some posters are jumping the gun on this saying we have a problem in our game and the GAA can't ignore it et cetera. The reality is much different. They do work/study i.e., live a life just like the rest of us and the idea that some of the substances they are 'caught' for are routine run of the mill medications or supplements is crazy. If you are sick and you don't have the luxury of a full medical staff to determine the best course of treatment. For nutrition and training you very much have to do the work yourself. This lad was not in the set up, did not have the benefit of the full advice from county set up and did not feature in the league. IF, and its a big IF, he has been systematically 'doping' then that's entirely different. Only in that outcome do we really need to worry about our sport. I never once encountered anything of that nature and I would be amazed if its blows up it has in other sports (athletics, cycling, lower levels of rugby union in the uk).

Absolutely, perhaps not the greatest example to use bearing in mind the Essendon Bombers peptides scandel but an AFL (in my opinion the best athletes on earth) player would NEVER be able to do what a GAA player is asked of, in my opinon GAA players should actually be given as much medical help as possible to do what they do. Its an absolute disgrace the training to game ratio (pretty much at every level) and now people are complaining about steroids when they just don't understand the key is rest and recovery.

Time to get real here, the real evil is the GAA and their refusal to treat the players as anything other than Euro Signs. Time to give these men a cut in gate receipts, whatever way you want to dress it up but pretty much anything that gets them out of working a full week with no recovery. Even those lucky enough to be teachers or office workers sitting on their bums are still not 'resting' or 'recovering'. No other sport in the world asks their stars to do what the GAA does, for them now to hang a lad out to dry over 'doping' is an absolute disgrace.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 12/05/2015 19:19:01    1722950

Until the full story comes I don't think anyone can make a judgement on this case.
I do think there are drugs in the GAA however the amount of people taking them KNOWINGLY as a PED would be minimal.
I have Asthma and Psoriasis. If I was tested tonight I reckon id probably fail for steroid use as both my inhalers contain steroids and the cream I use for Psoriasis also contain steroids. Neither of which is performance enhancing and if you seen the state of me you would know they weren't performance enhancing lol
This could the case for the lad in question.

bosch (Derry) - Posts: 873 - 13/05/2015 13:22:53    1723160

I think people do need to calm down before the facts are known here but i also believe people are being a bit naive here in their assumptions.

I mean some are saying its probably just something from a pre-workout drink or a cough bottle etc etc and citing the case of Aidan O Mahony for example who had a banned substance as a result from an inhaler. That was 7 years ago and testing for these substances etc has come on a lot in those years even if it is only a urine test. If the player has been taking a cough bottle or pre workout drink for example as quoted its not going to be coming up as a banned substance.

What strikes me as odd about this whole thing and what has me suspicious is of who it is or who it isnt! I mean no offence to the lad or Monaghan but its a trialist who isnt even on the Monaghan panel, so why is this even news? When it was O Mahony it was a high profile player but in this case its a young fella whowas only trialing for the county team, he isnt even a member of GPA.

Next yar we have blood testing for the first time in the GAA so why is there such a fuss about a young fella who probably never kicked a ball in anger for his county team.

I also agree, hopefyully this fella never gets named but to me its suspicious as to why this fella is national news!

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1353 - 13/05/2015 13:57:36    1723189

tearintom
County: Wexford
Posts: 102

1723189 If the player has been taking a cough bottle or pre workout drink for example as quoted its not going to be coming up as a banned substance.

Im not sure about your logic here.
Why would it not appear as a banned substance? Just because the name of the cough bottle or pre workout drink doesn't appear on the list doesn't mean to say an ingredient within the product doesn't....
Do you really think the makers of such products take much notice of whats on a banned substance list? Possibly some do if they are targeting elite athletes but for most I would think not.

bosch (Derry) - Posts: 873 - 14/05/2015 08:52:04    1723438

tearintom
County: Wexford
Posts: 102

1723189
I think people do need to calm down before the facts are known here but i also believe people are being a bit naive here in their assumptions.

I mean some are saying its probably just something from a pre-workout drink or a cough bottle etc etc and citing the case of Aidan O Mahony for example who had a banned substance as a result from an inhaler. That was 7 years ago and testing for these substances etc has come on a lot in those years even if it is only a urine test. If the player has been taking a cough bottle or pre workout drink for example as quoted its not going to be coming up as a banned substance.

I think you misunderstand the whole area of a failed drugs test...Yes, taking a pre-workout drink can cause you to fail a drugs test, even just once...but...it will literally have to a case of taking it before the training session you were tested after. The original Jack3d had a now banned stimulant 1 3 dimethylamylamine in it. It was hidden from the user but if you took it, went into a tested environment and got tested you failed. But with the likes of pre workout drinks etc, you'll urinate out anything 'illegal' after X amount of water intake and the following nature and it must be stressed - the whole sports nutrition industry is highly, highly unregulated.

I'd say it was something simple, cheap enough to get and effective that would flag on any basic test like ephedrine - to be honest, hardly 'doping' but there you go. I'd be very surprised if a GAA drug test is that expansive, again...not cheap to do.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 14/05/2015 18:36:21    1723771