Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Decision today on golfer's drug ban
Judge could overrule one-year suspension
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The PGA Tour's first-ever suspension for violation of its anti-doping rules wound up in federal court on Friday where lawyers for a 40-year-old journeyman tried to block the one-year ban.
Lawyers for Doug Barron, a professional golfer from Memphis, sought a temporary restraining order on his one-year suspension for testing positive for two banned substances in June. The tour announced earlier this month that he was the first golfer to be banned for violating the policy that went into effect July 3, 2008.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Tu Pham heard more than three hours of argument and said he would make his decision by early today.
Barron, who was not at the hearing, hopes to play in an event next week at the PGA's Tour School, a prerequisite for a "tour card" qualifying a pro for lucrative tournaments on the PGA Tour. Barron, who started his career in 1995, tested positive for the anabolic steroid testosterone and propranolol, a beta-blocker that calms nerves, at the PGA's St. Jude Classics in Memphis in June. He was given a sponsor's exemption into the tournament.
Lawyer Jeffrey Rosenblum, representing Barron, said his client took the drugs under the supervision of a doctor for "therapeutic use" and made no secret of it.
He said Barron began taking testosterone in 2005 because his natural level was below the level considered normal.
"It is not performance enhancing when it is used to keep a man within the normal range," he said.
Rosenblum said Barron is "disabled" under the Americans With Disabilities Act because low testosterone "impairs a major life activity and that is intimacy with your wife." Barron and his wife, who was in the courtroom, have two children.
Rosenblum said Barron has taken propranolol since 1987 for a racing heart. In 2008, his doctor tried to "wean him off" the drug but he was still using it in June when he was tested.
"If he had tried to wean off of it faster he would have been medically unsafe," Rosenblum said.
Rosenblum said the PGA singled out Barron, an unknown journeyman, rather than better known players to make it look like it is cracking down on its policy, but he alleged that as many as 10 current pro golfers have taken illegal drugs but were not suspended. He said he would seek details from the PGA Tour during the discovery process if and when Barron's case goes to trial.
The tour stated clearly that Barron was the first player to be suspended -- not necessarily the first to receive a positive test. The tour is not required to suspend or announce any punishment for recreational drugs.
"This is an outrageous penalty when you compare it to baseball or football," he said.
By consent, lawyers for both sides agreed to move the case from state court to federal court in Memphis Friday morning.
Rich Young, attorney for the PGA Tour, said Barron knowingly violated the rules. He called testosterone "the granddaddy of anabolic steroids" and said "clean sports are a very important public interest." Beta-blockers, he said, could calm the nerves of an athlete who had the shakes, giving him an unfair advantage.
"This isn't fun or easy for anybody," Young said. "But it's the right thing for a sport to do."
-- The Associated Press
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Golf
Poll
Most Popular
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- Father of man charged in Mountie shootings pleads with him to come home
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- New appointees named to Manitoba Hydro board
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Our 'true champion'
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Flood reviews launched
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.