Pro Suspended failed drug test.

[Irish-Assassin]

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Byeong Hun An has been suspended for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy because of a banned substance found in cough medicine sold over the counter in South Korea.

isn’t this a little harsh, I get it that we have rules in sports but it wasn’t like he was at the back of a gym or in a toilet cubicle shooting up drugs to improve his game. 

[cnosil]

7 minutes ago, MJ McNamara said:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Byeong Hun An has been suspended for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy because of a banned substance found in cough medicine sold over the counter in South Korea.

isn’t this a little harsh, I get it that we have rules in sports but it wasn’t like he was at the back of a gym or in a toilet cubicle shooting up drugs to improve his game. 

Reality of being an athlete.  Rules are in place and it is your responsibility to ensure you follow them.  There are substances that are legal in some places but the rules of the organization you play under bans them; have to be careful.   Where do you draw the line; should it be gray?

Edited October 13, 2023 by cnosil

[silver & black]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

Reality of being an athlete.  Rules are in place and it is your responsibility to ensure you follow them.  There are substances that are legal in some places but the rules of the organization you play under bans them; have to be careful.   Where do you draw the line; should it be gray?

I understand and I agree, but I also think there needs to be some common sense applied. When OTC cold medications are considered 'performance enhancing' something is wrong.

[cksurfdude]

6 minutes ago, silver & black said:

I understand and I agree, but I also think there needs to be some common sense applied. When OTC cold medications are considered 'performance enhancing' something is wrong.

Yes, but... If the med contained some, say, steroidal compound that is good for a cough but still on the banned substance list then I agree it's the player's responsibility to know and understand the rules under which they compete.

Probably a bad example because of what happened to him later, but was thinking of when Lance Armstrong was DQed from a stage of the Tour D'France for using a hemorrhoid cream that contained a banned substance.

[cnosil]

12 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Probably a bad example because of what happened to him later, but was thinking of when Lance Armstrong was DQed from a stage of the Tour D'France for using a hemorrhoid cream that contained a banned substance.

Lance Armstrong is definitely a bad example . Maybe Vijay Singh and deer antler spray would be a better example.  

[cnosil]

25 minutes ago, silver & black said:

I understand and I agree, but I also think there needs to be some common sense applied. When OTC cold medications are considered 'performance enhancing' something is wrong.

How do you limit the amounts, how do you confirm that it was actually taking cold medicine and not the result of actually taking a performance enhancing drug and when caught saying it was cough medicine? 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, silver & black said:

I understand and I agree, but I also think there needs to be some common sense applied. When OTC cold medications are considered 'performance enhancing' something is wrong.

There are otc pre workout supplements sold at vitamin shoppe and other type of stores in the US that contain small amounts of anabolic steroids. A friend of mine works in an investigative unit in the military. Her base has several members pop positive and all had used the same brand of preworkout. 
 

People who get tested for their job need to be aware of what they are taking, especially when it’s a product from overseas.

[Golf2Much]

All I know is that I'm glad there wasn't any testing when I was younger.  Heaven knows what went into my body (knowingly or unknowingly) back in the 60's and 70's! 

My grandmother used to put mercurochrome (laced with mercury and banned in a dozen countries) on cuts to aid in healing.  She had a bottle of "special" cough medicine that she had in her refrigerator with a worn prescription label that probably had some level of cocaine in it.  Then again, she lived until 97!

In college organic chemistry labs we used to wash our hands with carbon tetrachloride to get the "bad stuff" off! 

In the words of Jimmy Buffet, pro athletes today have to treat their bodies like a temple.  Me, I treated mine, and continue to treat mine like a tent!

It's amazing I'm still here at 67!

[Siamese Moose]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

How do you limit the amounts, how do you confirm that it was actually taking cold medicine and not the result of actually taking a performance enhancing drug and when caught saying it was cough medicine? 

Since he got a reduced sentence, he was probably able to submit an unopened package of the cold medicine for testing. I know golf has it's own protocols, but that's SOP for sports in the WADA system. There has to be some suspension, otherwise athletes could find a medication that has a banned substance, and if caught using that drug, just submit the OTC product and say, "I took this, it was unintentional." There are lists provided by most countries sports drug testing agencies that list products that are known to be clean, as well as others known to be dirty. 

[Josh Parker]

Rules are there for a reason and just like @cnosil said, you have to know what you are taking and held responsible if you take something on the list.  It has to be black/white and not a grey line.  It sounds like they reduced the suspension some so he got a little leeway. 

[DaveP043]

I have a hard time complaining about enforcement of a Rule like this when the player himself didn't complain at all.  He did the right thing, the ADULT thing, taking responsibility for his mistake.  There's way too little of this behavior in the world these days.

[Shapotomous]

More than a few of the substances are banned because they are masking agents which hide the other more directly serious stuff from being detected.  

[hckymeyer]

A 3 month suspension over the months of Mid-Oct to Mid-Jan is just a vacation.  PGA gets to say it enforces the rules while Byeong gets a break over the holidays in the winter months when it won't affect any big tourney's or majors.  

I'd say this is best case scenario for Byeong and will amount to a solid lesson learned without any real harm to his year or career.  

Honestly the biggest surprise for me in the whole situation is that the tour actually announced which player was banned, for how long, and for what substance.  Usually it's all hush hush under the table and we just realize we haven't seen player X in a while.

[Hook DeLoft]

Does anyone know what the banned substance was in the cough medicine?

[revkev]

On 10/13/2023 at 10:47 AM, silver & black said:

I understand and I agree, but I also think there needs to be some common sense applied. When OTC cold medications are considered 'performance enhancing' something is wrong.

Especially since it's been discovered that most of them don't work.

[DavidMontoya]

I can see where you're coming from; it does seem a bit strict. Sometimes, the rules in sports can be unforgiving.It reminds me of my own journey with addiction. When I was struggling with alcohol, I realized that rules and consequences were necessary for my recovery. I found a rehab center near me with a comprehensive program, including detox, which was a vital part of my rehab program. In Byeong Hun An's case, it's unfortunate that a simple cough medicine led to this situation. However, the strict anti-doping policies are there to ensure a level playing field in professional sports.

Edited February 5 by DavidMontoya

[berkeleybob]

Don’t professional athletes usually have someone on staff to help them spot the potential use of banned substances?

[rubidius]

I understand your concern about Byeong Hun An's suspension. It does seem like a tough situation, especially considering that the banned substance was found in cough medicine sold over the counter in South Korea. It's a reminder of how strict anti-doping policies can be in professional sports.

While it may seem harsh, it's important to remember that these rules are in place to maintain fairness and integrity within the sport. Even unintentional violations of anti-doping policies can have consequences.

If you're interested in learning more about drug testing policies in sports or exploring reliable drug testing kits, you can check out https://aichek.com/collection/drug-of-abuse. They offer a variety of products and information that may provide some insight into this topic.

Edited February 14 by rubidius

[NicholasRowe]

It does seem a bit extreme, doesn't it? Sometimes rules can feel rigid, especially when it comes to unintentional slip-ups like this. It reminds me of a time when I accidentally took a supplement that had a banned substance without realizing it. It's tough when consequences are disproportionate to the situation. BTW, have you ever tried CBD products like the HHC gummies from https://www.trythecbd.com/products/hhc-gummies/? They can be a great natural option for managing stress and anxiety.

Edited February 14 by NicholasRowe