If ASADA had a rock solid case then McDoodleburger wouldn't have offered six month discounts. Public servants go for the throat.
Agreed. ASADA are known in legal circles for being incredibly ruthless with the scalps they get. They don't get a high number of cases, so when they do, they do whatever they can to ensure funding for future budgets.
Look at Ahmed Saad's case as a recent example. He endorsed and consumed an energy drink which featured an ingredient that though legal during the week, is prohibited on match day. While Saad is obviously at fault for checking if the drink was okay with club doctors, the fact that he was endorsing the drink demonstrates that he was not consuming the drink to cheat.
Yes, Saad should have been suspended, but 18 months (which the tribunal only gave because they were afraid any lower suspension would prompt an ASADA [or WADA] appeal) is ridiculous for such a small offence.
They did a similar thing with that VFL player a few years back, who's original suspension of 9 months was then made into 24 months.
What I'm saying is, they're ******* arseholes.