Sonnen: Jones’ Substantial Assistance was just a loophole to reduce susp…
“He’s never going to obtain information. He was never meant to do that. That was absolutely meant to catch a loophole within the rules and get it applied.”
Chael Sonnen has a sometimes buffoonish act, that buffoons mistake for reality. In reality, he’s arguably the brightest, most insightful figure in the sport. On a recent podcast, he compellingly broke down some of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ anti-doping test failures.
September of last year, following a failed test for metabolites from a steroid, Jones was suspended for just 15 months after going through USADA arbitration; he had faced up to 48 months away from his profession. The reduction was due to the determination that the fighter did not knowingly take anything, that the amount found was useless in terms of performance, and because Jones provided USADA with Substantial Assistance – information bringing forward an Anti-Doping Policy Violation by another person.
There was widespread speculation that Jones must have told on members of his team, and he categorically denied it. No charges are known to be have been brought against anyone on his team, which would appear to confirm the denial. Sonnen argues that Jones never provided Substantial Assistance, it was just an available loophole to reduce the suspension. Sonnen further alleges that the turinabol metabolites where contamination from another prohibited substance, that Sonnen declined to name.
And Sonnen agrees, correctly, that Jones latest test anomalies are for traces from the original test failure.
If anyone ever gets flagged on one of these tests, in the eyes of the media, he was always taking steroids — illegal steroids,” said Sonnen, as transcribed by Anton Tabuena for BE. “In some cases that’s true. In this case, that would be true.”
Jon was working the story of ‘I have no idea. I didn’t take anything and I have no idea where this came from,’ and he was sticking to that. He was even, ‘Hey I’ll take a lie detector test, I’ll cough up some tears for you guys. I’ve never even heard of this stuff before.’ Well, he was telling the truth.
All of that was true. He was taking a different banned substance that was contaminated with this banned substance. So when this one came out, he’s sitting there with his pants down, ‘oh man I’ve never even heard of that. I feel like I’m being victimized. I never took that.’ — he was telling the truth, intent-wise.
I could get more into detail. I could tell you specifically what he was doing and how he was doing it, but the point is, it was contaminated with this, and it’s not the first time that has happened. Not even the first time at the gym he’s training at that that has happened.
I am seeing Jon falsely disparaged for having retaken banned substances. That’s not true. The conclusion and the analysis is accurate that this is residue that is left over. My conclusion and analysis that he was under-punished … I’m just a guy looking at the rules that understands that on your second violation, you have a minimum of two years. Had they gone through that, we wouldn’t be in this spot.
It’s a matter of how far are people willing to dig — maybe they’re not, maybe they’re willing to let it go away — all the way to Jon Jones being a rat. Taking a clause to help out, turned out not to be true. He took the deal. He had no information. He’s never going to obtain information. He was never meant to do that. That was absolutely meant to catch a loophole within the rules and get it applied.
Sonnen is not above embellishing at times, but his analysis here is worthy of careful consideration.