Pick your doctor wrote:
Mr. Obvious wrote: Yeah, I don't know what the answer is. Can't see a good procedural way to give USADA some sort of authority over medical doctors without running into all sorts of problems and unintended consequences.
Pick your doctor wrote: The answer is to ban Dr Brown as a doctor athletes can use. Dr Brown isn't prevented from practicing, just from prescribing for athletes who choose to compete under WADA's charter. Any athlete found using Dr Brown and hiding it would receive a lifetime ban. Dr Brown is not prevented from practicing which is the right answer.[/quote]
Mr. Obvious wrote: That seems pretty easy, if it is compliant w/ the WADA code. I know there were some enhanced provisions for support personnel in the newest code, but I am not sure of all the details on there.[/quote]
The way it would be compliant under the WADA code is that WADA is looking for verification that what the athlete says they taking is backup with a full medical report, and not just a simple letter. Prescriptions, prescription renewals, allowed dosages, all become part of confirming a TUE is actually required, and under what conditions it should be allowed.
To tighten the noose, a second, independent, medical confirmation of the proposed TUE would be required.[/quote]
So, just to press this a little further...
There presumably would have to be actual evidence that the doctor is doing something against the rules.
What do we know Dr. Brown has done?
He has given prescriptions for thyroid medication to many athletes. Well, thyroid medication does not require a TUE and is not in any way required to be cleared by WADA.
I think, without looking it up, that he prescribed androgel to Alberto. Surely that is not against the rules, as he is not an active athlete.
He may have consulted/advised Alberto on that androgel experiments, which seems a bit problematic and a possible violation, but since they haven't charged Alberto with anything related to that, I don't see how it would be for him either.
They have testimony from 7 athletes, but those athletes say that they always followed the rules, so whatever they have alleged is within bounds.
Maybe helps w/ inhalers and such. I don't know all the details of that, so I know some inhalers don't require TUEs and others do, etc.
So, I can see possible grounds for not allowing athletes to use him, but I am not sure it is a slam dunk.
I'm not arguing he isn't dirty as all.