Merritt's Honesty Could Cost Him London

LaShawn Merritt, gold medal winner in the 400 meters and 4x400 relay, received a twenty-one month ban from an arbitration panel after he tested positive for a banned substance found in an over-the-counter drug he purchased.

The drug?  Extenze.

Save your jokes and laughter because this raises a bigger issue than jokes about Merritt's endowment in places other than on the track.  Yes, Merritt was found with a banned substance in his body, but evidently the aribitration panel did not think that the amount resulted in an unfair advantage on the track.

The original ban was to last two full years, but the panel reduced the total to twenty-one months because Merritt "demonstrated tremendous character in making what had to be a painful and humiliating confession."  The language they chose appears to send the message that the significance of him taking Extenze was not for athletic enhancement.  Clearly his level of rebuke does not fall on the same as the cheating-likes of Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, Justin Gatlin, Maurice Green, etc.

But because of the International Olympic Committee's rule that if an athlete receives a ban of longer than six months, they will not be eligible for the next Olympic games, even if they fall outside of the length of the ban, Merritt could lose his opportunity to defend his gold.  All for what?  Taking a male-enhancement drug whose purpose is to enhance performance in the bedroom, not the track?

I understand that rules are rules and that Merritt's positive test violates these, but to rob him of a chance to defend his gold which he won fairly seems preposterous.  Doping has become rampant in track and field and athletes are to blame for this cheating.  However, the IOC holds responsibility as well for not taking the appropriate steps to snuff it out.  Now, as they attempt to restore control over the situation, they want to prevent a clean athlete from competing.  The IOC clearly has its priorities mixed up.

If Merritt remains banned from the 2012 games, it will only give credence to the argument that the IOC is as ineffective of a governing body as they come.  If these tests punish clean athletes then clearly a change must occur.  For gold medal winners like Merritt, let's hope it happens soon.