Thursday, August 3, 2006
An Oregon massage therapist who worked with Olympian Marion Jones and other elite athletes denied using a cream containing testosterone on sprinter Justin Gatlin .
Christopher Whetstine , who is under contract to Nike, was drawn into the Gatlin doping scandal by the sprinter's coach, Trevor Graham .
Gatlin faces a lifetime ban after failing a drug test in April following a track meet in Lawrence, Kan.
Graham has contended Gatlin tested positive after a vengeful massage therapist used testosterone cream on the runner without his knowledge. In an Italian newspaper, Graham identified the massage therapist as Whetstine, who has a private practice in Eugene.
"Trevor Graham is not speaking on behalf of Justin Gatlin, and the statement about me is not true," Whetstine said yesterday in a statement read over the phone by his attorney, Elizabeth Baker . "I have fully cooperated with the investigation into this matter."
Baker said Whetstine denies using a banned substance on Gatlin or "any other athlete."
Gatlin, the co-world record holder in the 100 meters, acknowledged last weekend that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency informed him of a test indicating he had used testosterone or other steroids after a relay race in Kansas in April. Gatlin has said he didn't know how steroids got into his system.
· CYCLING: The attorney for Floyd Landis criticized the International Cycling Union for leaking the results of the Tour de France winner's positive "A" sample drug test, saying it breached the organization's own rules.
Results of the second or "B" sample are expected to be released Saturday, and until they are completed "it should be strongly noted that there is not even a formal doping charge that has been filed against Mr. Landis," attorney Howard Ja cobs said.
· COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar will not play for the Sooners this season following an investigation by the team, according to a television report.
Oklahoma confirmed two players had been permanently dismissed by the team but did not identify them. The school said the players violated NCAA rules by working at a private business and taking "payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked."
Oklahoma City station KWTV reported that Bomar, who set an Oklahoma freshman record with 2,018 passing yards after becoming the starter in the second game last season, was one of the two players. Oklahoma City television station KOCO reported that Bomar's roommate, offensive lineman J.D. Quinn , was the second player. Kenny Mossman , the school's associate athletic director for communications, would not identify the two players. . . .
Individual game tickets for this fall's Maryland football season are on sale to the general public. Tickets can be ordered online at http://www.umterps.com or by calling the school's ticket office at 1-800-462-8377. Tickets for the Florida State and Miami games are available only as parts of $75 two-game packages, Florida State paired with Florida International and Miami with Middle Tennessee. Tickets for the North Carolina State and Wake Forest games are $41 for adults and $25 for youth ages 17 and under, and tickets for the William & Mary, Middle Tennessee and Florida International games are $35 for adults and $25 for youth.
· SOCCER: AC Milan will play in the Champions League this season.
The six-time European champion, which had been barred from Europe's top club competition by an Italian sports tribunal investigating the country's match-fixing scandal, will face either Ireland's Cork City or Serbia's Red Star Belgrade on Aug. 8 or 9 in the third qualifying round.
· COURTS: Even though former basketball coach Jim O'Brien broke NCAA rules by giving money to a recruit, a judge ruled that Ohio State must pay O'Brien $2.2 million plus interest because it failed to follow the terms of his contract.
-- From News Services and Staff Reports
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