From
www.nydailynews.com/.../2008-07-30_jessica_hardys_doping_meeting_shrouded_i.html
Hardy's defenders have pointed to drug tests Hardy passed on July 1 and July 6 - as well as Jacobs' characterization of the failed test's findings as a "low positive" - as indications that she is a victim of a false positive.
Jacobs declined to say if he will make that argument, refusing to discuss strategy for the hearing.
Using an anabolic agent during a high-profile, heavily-screened swim meet sounds reckless, but it is precisely the time and place to use drugs that promote muscle recovery, according to BALCO founder and performance-enhancement guru Victor Conte.
"We used THG immediately after the competition," Conte said, referring to the designer drug he dispensed to world-class athletes before getting busted by the feds in 2003. "Because of the exertion and the micro-tears, you need to facilitate healing and recovery."
Hardy, however, claims not to have heard of the drug until notified of her failed test on July 21. Her coach, Dave Salo, suggested to reporters that Hardy should consider whether she ingested a contaminated supplement.
Salo happens to have coached Kicker Vencill, an elite swimmer who was banned for a positive drug test, blamed it on supplement producer Ultimate Nutrition, and later won a half-million-dollar jury award from the Connecticut-based company.
Jacobs was Vencill's lawyer in that case. He has also represented Floyd Landis, Tim Montgomery and Tyler Hamilton, carving out a niche as the country's leading defense attorney for athletes snagged in doping scandals.
From
www.nydailynews.com/.../2008-07-30_jessica_hardys_doping_meeting_shrouded_i.html
Hardy's defenders have pointed to drug tests Hardy passed on July 1 and July 6 - as well as Jacobs' characterization of the failed test's findings as a "low positive" - as indications that she is a victim of a false positive.
Jacobs declined to say if he will make that argument, refusing to discuss strategy for the hearing.
Using an anabolic agent during a high-profile, heavily-screened swim meet sounds reckless, but it is precisely the time and place to use drugs that promote muscle recovery, according to BALCO founder and performance-enhancement guru Victor Conte.
"We used THG immediately after the competition," Conte said, referring to the designer drug he dispensed to world-class athletes before getting busted by the feds in 2003. "Because of the exertion and the micro-tears, you need to facilitate healing and recovery."
Hardy, however, claims not to have heard of the drug until notified of her failed test on July 21. Her coach, Dave Salo, suggested to reporters that Hardy should consider whether she ingested a contaminated supplement.
Salo happens to have coached Kicker Vencill, an elite swimmer who was banned for a positive drug test, blamed it on supplement producer Ultimate Nutrition, and later won a half-million-dollar jury award from the Connecticut-based company.
Jacobs was Vencill's lawyer in that case. He has also represented Floyd Landis, Tim Montgomery and Tyler Hamilton, carving out a niche as the country's leading defense attorney for athletes snagged in doping scandals.
