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Trevor Graham

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Not to be confused with T. J. Graham or Trevor Graham (director).

Trevor Graham
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  Jamaica
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul 4x400 m relay

Trevor Graham (born 20 August 1963) is a Jamaican-born American[1] former sprinter and athletics coach. Following the BALCO scandal, the US Olympic Committee barred him indefinitely from all its training sites.

Athletics career

Graham was part of the silver medal-winning Jamaican 4 × 400 m team at the 1988 Summer Olympics, running in the first round and semi-final, though not the final.[2][3] He is a graduate from Saint Augustine's College with a degree in Business Management.[4]

Doping scandal

BALCO

Graham first played a critical whistleblower role in the BALCO scandal (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative) of June 2003, anonymously sending a syringe containing the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.[5] The syringe started the investigation.[6] Many others accused him of trying to wipe out a rival.[6] Eventually the investigation came back to Graham, and he was charged with making false statements about his ties to a steroids distributor. He was convicted on one of three felony charges in May 2008.[6] Graham was convicted of one count of lying to federal investigators.[7] A mistrial was declared on two other counts as jurors could not reach a unanimous agreement.[8] Graham was sentenced to one year of house arrest.[9]

Doping ban

In July 2006, Angel Guillermo Heredia testified before a US Federal Grand Jury that he had worked for Graham from 1996 to 2000, providing illegal performance-enhancing drugs. While a number of athletes coached by Graham have received suspensions for drug use, he has always denied direct knowledge or involvement, and denies having ever met Heredia.[10] After Justin Gatlin failed a test for testosterone, announced in July 2006, Graham stated in an interview that Gatlin had been set up.[11][12] Two of the athletes Graham had coached admitted to having been knowingly taking drugs.[11] An unsent letter written by BALCO's Victor Conte to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency described the use of an oral testosterone by Graham that "will clear the body and be undetectable in urine in less than a week after discontinuing use." At the end of the letter, Gatlin was one of four athletes identified as using the drug.[13]

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on 31 July 2006 that Graham could face a two-year ban if evidence links him to any doping violations and the United States Anti-Doping Agency decides not to take action.[14] On 3 August 2006 the United States Olympic Committee banned Graham from its training facilities.[15] This was the first time a coach has received such a ban based on the excessive number of athletes in their charge who have tested positive. Later that month, Nike ended its contract with Graham.[16]

The US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart, on 15 July 2008, confirmed a life ban on Graham for breaking anti-drugs rules: "It sends a powerful reminder that coaches are not above the rules. There's a misconception that they are because we don't drug-test them, but this shows that we'll use all of our authority. There's no opportunity to seek reinstatement. Any chance that he may have had for that has passed. He's waived that."[17] His ban included participation in any event sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the IAAF, USA Track & Field or any other group that participates in the World Anti-Doping Agency program.[18]

Interviewed in 2009 after five years of silence, Graham said he is innocent and that he was considering appealing the lifetime ban.[6]

In 2011, Graham filed an unsuccessful $30 million slander lawsuit against USADA. He is reportedly still trying to get back into coaching as of 2016.[needs update][19]

References

  1. ^ "Dealer says sold steroids to doping whistleblower". Reuters. 21 May 2008.
  2. ^ "Results of 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Game: Athletics – 4x400m relay Men: Round 1". Japan Institute of Sports Sciences. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  3. ^ "Results of 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Game: Athletics – 4x400m relay Men: Semi-final". Japan Institute of Sports Sciences. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  4. ^ "Sprint Capitol, USA - Coaches & Staff". Sprint Capitol USA. 2005. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  5. ^ Wilson, Duff (20 July 2006). "Instigator of Steroids Inquiry May Be a Target". New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d Wilson, Duff (24 October 2009). "After 5 Years of Silence, Graham Says He Is Innocent of Doping". NY Times. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Graham Found Guilty of Lying in Balco Case". The New York Times. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. ^ Dubow, Josh; Paul Elias; Raf Casert (30 May 2008). "Track coach Graham convicted in BALCO probe". Tampa Bay Online. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  9. ^ Pogash, Carol; Michael Schmidt (21 October 2008). "Graham Sentenced to Year's House Arrest in Balco Case". New York Times.
  10. ^ Wilson, Duff (20 July 2006). "Instigator of Steroids Inquiry May Be a Target". New York Times. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  11. ^ a b Mackay, Duncan (31 July 2006). "Gatlin turns into the fastest falling hero in the world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  12. ^ Pells, Eddie (31 July 2006). "Gatlin set up: coach". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  13. ^ Fainaru-Wada, Mark (2006). Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports. Gotham. p. 179. ISBN 978-1592402687. Retrieved 17 May 2013. will clear the body and be undetectable in urine in less than a week after discontinuing use.
  14. ^ "IAAF: Gatlin's coach might face two-year ban". Associated Press. 7 August 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  15. ^ "USOC bans track coach Graham from training sites". Associated Press. 7 August 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  16. ^ "Nike ends contract with track coach Graham". Associated Press. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  17. ^ bbc.co.uk, "Coach Graham is handed life ban" Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Track coach Trevor Graham gets banned for life". Seattle Times. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  19. ^ Young, Dennis (19 August 2016). "Is Trevor Graham Still Coaching Despite A Lifetime Ban?". FloTrack. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
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