So...it turns out Peyton Manning wasn't the only one who had a press conference today. Maria Sharapova had some news of her own. She failed a drug test during the Australian Open and now faces a suspension from tennis. For how long? Who knows?
According to Sharapova's explanation, she failed the test because of meldonium, a drug she's been taking since 2006 but was only added to the banned list in January. She takes it for a number of health issues, and she made sure it was legal when she began taking it. Sharapova continued to check every year, and every year it was legal. Until this year. Apparently she received an email with the updates to the list in December and didn't notice that it had been added.
Meldonium was banned because, when taken in high doses, it can improve blood-flow and increase endurance. Not surprisingly, many of the athletes who've been suspended for using meldonium since Jan. 1 are long-distance runners, cyclists or biathletes. The dosage Sharapova was taking was much lower, so you can argue the performance-enhancing benefits. But, a rule's a rule, and it's banned no matter the dosage. As a result, Sharapova will be suspended.
To her credit, Sharapova took full responsibility for everything. Whether you believe she simply made an honest mistake (which I do) or think she knew exactly what she was doing and was trying to get away with it is up to you. But I don't think she has anything to hide here. She knows how much she stands to lose, which is probably why she was so forthright about it. Maria Sharapova isn't just the richest female athlete in the world (due mainly to her other business ventures and endorsements), she's also the biggest draw in women's tennis not named Serena Williams. If she's guilty of anything other than a simple mistake, that's all gone. Her career will be tainted and she'll be forever labeled a cheat, which I don't think she is.
I'm sure there are plenty of skeptics who've been following what's going on with the Russian track team (which is currently banned from international competition) and assume that Sharapova's guilty of more simply because she's Russian and took a drug that's made in Latvia. But, in response to that, I feel the need to point out that Sharapova may have a Russian passport, but has lived in the U.S. for years and currently calls LA home. She doesn't live and train in Russia. She's not a "cheater" to the same degree as those track & field dopes. Not by a long shot.
We'll see if the ITF and WTA believe her version. The rules call for a four-year ban if it was taken deliberately for the purpose of performance enhancement, while the penalty tops out at two years if it was deemed unintentional. Two years would fall in line with the common suspension we see for PED use in other sports. But...there's also a provision that says a ban can be further reduced (or even dropped entirely) if there are mitigating circumstances, which Sharapova's lawyers believe there are here.
It's highly unlikely that Sharapova will get off without a suspension of some length. She's guilty. She's admitted that much. It's the degree of her guilt (and the intent is a key here) that's still to be determined, and that's what will determine the length of her suspension. My guess is that they'll find her explanation plausible and give her anywhere from six months to a year, effectively ending her 2016 season.
Sharapova won't go to Rio (that whole thing about her needing to play Fed Cup to be on the Olympic team is irrelevant now). She won't play in any of the remaining three Grand Slams. Her ranking will take a massive hit. She won't get any prize money or appearance fees. She'll probably lose some sponsors. Those are all reasonable consequences.
What I do know, though, is that we haven't seen the last of Maria Sharapova on a tennis court. She wanted to make it perfectly clear that she isn't retiring. Sure she's 28, but Serena Williams is 33 and she's the best player in the world. Maria Sharapova will come back. And she'll have something to prove. Because there are suddenly a lot of doubters out there wondering if her career is legitimate.
Yes, it's shocking. Yes, it's her fault. But let's not rush to make Maria Sharapova the villain in all this, either. She made a mistake. And she's going to pay dearly for it, Shouldn't that be enough?
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