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[notrightn0w]

InsideFighting: Thank you for taking time to speak with us, Sean. What is your reaction to the California state athletic commission reducing your suspension by half to six months? Are you happy because the suspension time was reduced or does it still bother you because you are recognized by them as a steroid user?

Sean Sherk: I’m not happy about it at all. It was a loss. We came in there with so many facts, so much proof including tons of mistakes they made regarding chain of custody, carry over and other things. They test everyone’s urine on the same machine. We found contamination in supplements I had taken.
I had clean blood work done, I took a polygraph, we just had so much evidence but it fell on deaf ears. Regardless of what I came in there with they were not going to listen. It was a huge loss. I’m looking to pursue this as far as I can.

IF: You will be eligible to fight in January, many people look at that as a big break considering that the commission did not overturn the positive test results for you. Why does it mean so much to you to continue to fight this even though you’ll soon be allowed to fight in the ring again? Why not just move on, happy with the reduction?

Sherk: Because I didn’t do it. If you are guilty of something maybe it’s less important to clear your name. I don’t want my self associated with this. I’ve worked so hard my whole life and have been very successful, now just to be wrongfully accused. They treated me like garbage from the start. They have no rules and regulations and they abuse that power. I’m going to fight this thing as long as it takes. I’m sure people over time will lose interest in it and that’s fine. I’ve already lost everything. I’ve been fined, suspended, I’m going to go ten months without a fight, I’ve already lost everything.

IF: How did they treat you “like garbage?”

Sherk: After the positive drug testing, we had a first meeting. We showed up but the commission wasn’t prepared for it, weren’t ready for it at all. There was a lack of communication and they didn’t hand out our paper work. Sure enough they wanted to proceed anyway but one of the other guys said “we can’t do this properly.” Then it got postponed to two weeks later and right before they postpone it again for no reason. We showed up and they postponed it again and we had to show up December 4th.

A couple of days before the hearing they decide to go from a formal hearing to an informal hearing. In a formal hearing you can call witnesses; you can have witness examination and cross examination to get all the facts on the table. But a couple of days before they say it will be an informal hearing and that we cant bring in any witness and that there will be no examination of the state’s witnesses allowed. Now they don’t allow us to present our case properly. They allowed their witnesses to speak but we couldn’t bring our witness out. That seems pretty biased to me.

The guy from Quest lab that did the testing was up there almost the whole time. The whole time, I’m asking, ‘How can you do this, how can you do that?’ And they blatantly tell us, ‘We can do whatever we want.’ It’s just crazy to think about.

IF: Who was the witness you all had planned to call?

Sherk: The witness we had planned was a polygraph expert. I took a polygraph test and passed. I just wanted to get that out there. I don’t think that they took it into consideration at all. The guy who actually gave me the test was going to be the witness. He has been doing them for twenty plus years. We also wanted to talk to the Quest guy about the mistakes they made. There were a lot of chain of custody mistakes made by them. Things we wanted to find out like, ‘why would you even test if you’ve got documented carry over?’

IF: Talk about what your understanding of “carry over” is, please.

Sherk: Everyone gives a sample before and after they fight. They test on the same machine with all the samples. There were tests before me that tested positive for steroids. They are supposed to do a water blank after each test and then run a test again to make sure it’s showing zero. Right before me the machine wasn’t clean and it came back with steroids. That’s what the carryover is.

The Quest guy knew about all these issues. Everything they do is documented. But they kept proceeding with the stuff. My attorney did his research and presented the case as best he could under the circumstances. We were not given our opportunity properly and were speaking to deaf ears.

IF: What do you mean by “deaf ears?”

Sherk: The commission just don’t care. They don’t care. They just want to prosecute regardless of how much evidence they had. Want to take this to the next level and fight it.

IF: What is that “next level” as you understand it?

Sherk: I’m not real sure. I’m still talking to my lawyer as to exactly what our next move is going to be. I think we can go to court where we can get a real judge, a non biased judge, and present our case to him.

IF: Obviously you will be eligible to fight again soon so what will your goal be with pursuing this further?

Sherk: I want it overturned. That’s what I’m looking to get done. I didn’t take Nandrolone. That’s what I’m going after. I’m eligible to fight in [January]. There is nothing else I want except for it to be overturned.

IF: Can you describe how much of an impact this all has had on you professionally?


Sherk: I’ve taken a real big hit. I’ve had a lot of expenses that had to come out of pocket. I’ve spent over twenty thousand dollars defending myself. By the time I fight again I will have missed two fight pay days. I’ve lost sponsorship pay days, tons of exposure, people that backed out of main stream stuff. No one wants to touch that. Exposure translates into money. I’ve lost out on a ton of stuff. Plus, I lost a ton of momentum. I had a lot of momentum going before this. I’ve lost everything that I’ve worked for.

IF: BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson are fighting January 19th. You will be eligible to fight by then. Would you have been willing to fight that soon?

Sherk: There’s just no possible way in five weeks I would have been able to do it.

IF: You said that you all also found some supplement contamination in things you had taken. Talk about that please. What, exactly, did you find?

Sherk: Yeah, it was actually a testosterone booster in my Glucosamine supplement. It was just a regular Glucosamine supplement. I had seven of my twenty two supplements tested. That was one of the supplements I decided to send in to the lab. Testosterone boosters raise a test number. There’s no proof that’s exactly what caused it but it’s clear that there is contamination and it could be the cause.

IF: Shouldn’t you have known what was in your supplements and if they could have caused problems for you in tests?

Sherk: See, what happens is the companies have the products and they have to list what’s in the product. If they list something that’s illegal then that’s my fault. It’s my job to know what I can and cannot take. If I take something that has something illegal or banned on the label, then it’s my fault. But what some companies do is they put things in their products that are not supposed to be there so you can get a little more effect and think, “Hey this is a great product.” For the average person that may be fine but for guys like me that compete and are tested I could be entitled to one hell of good lawsuit.

When companies have the supplements made there are hundreds and hundreds made at the same place using the same equipment. One company may have one thing up to commission standards but another may not and when they make something like Glucosamine they put a little bit of this and a little bit that. That’s where the contamination comes from. My Glucosamine had the testosterone booster, that’s contamination and I’ve learned that happens a lot. I just read about a study in USA Today that said 25% of all supplements are contaminated

I didn’t even know what contamination was before. Now I’m doing all this research. I take twenty two different supplements. With 25% of those supplements having the risk of being contaminated that increases my chances of having contamination pretty well. I can’t stop taking supplements, I need the stuff and its legal so what am I going to do? I can’t test all of my supplements; it’s about three hundred and fifty to five hundred dollars per test.

IF: Obviously, you are maintaining your innocence in this case and saying that you did not knowingly take a banned substance, but that doesn’t it make it less likely the things you say happened with the contamination and testing won’t happen again. What are you going to do from this point on to try and guard against that?

Sherk: I’ve thought about that a lot. What I need to do is protect myself better next time. First of all there is nothing I can do about contamination. Everything I take is legal and it does help so it’s not an option. I’m going to continue taking supplements. But I’m going to also get pre fight tests done, both blood and urine, before I fight. If something like this happens again we just go from there.

I’ve been tested eight times in six years and passed them all until the most recent one. It’s scary but you just got to go on with what you got to do.

IF: As you said, you’ve missed out on possible fights and pay days, so what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied since your last fight in July?

Sherk: I stay real busy doing stuff. I have a lot of appearances and seminars so I’ve been traveling a lot. Keeping a real positive mindset has been my big thing. I’ve got to keep a real positive mind. I hope this thing turns over in my favor.


IF: I don’t know if you have gotten a chance to see comments that Hermes Franca and Kenny Florian made regarding the reduction in your suspension time. To sum up, each in their own way, expressed some level of disappointment that you had your suspension reduced despite not being acquitted, so to speak, of the steroid use. Franca, for example, admitted to knowingly using and did not get his suspension reduced. If you had a chance to see their comments, what is your reaction to them?

Sherk: I didn’t get a chance to see it yet. I couldn’t care less what Kenny Florian or Hermes Franca say. They probably don’t like me because I beat the sh_t out of them and I’d beat the crap out of them again. They’ve got resentments against me. They can say what they want to say. I know I didn’t do it and I’m willing to defend myself.

IF: Throughout this whole process have you felt support from the UFC management?

Sherk: I’ve felt some support. (UFC President) Dana [White] has been vocal with everything and he supports me with this. They’ve kept in contact with me. You can always feel like there could be more support from guys but ultimately it’s my deal.

IF: How about from the fans? Has there been a noticeable drop off in the support from fans

Sherk: No not at all. I’ve had a lot of support from my fans, at least to my face. You get e-mails from time to time from people using fake names. I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten and I don’t take the other stuff personal.

http://www.insidefighting.com/betwee....aspx?uid=4146

Reactions:

"I’ve taken a real big hit... I’ve lost sponsorship pay days, tons of exposure, people that backed out of main stream stuff. No one wants to touch that."

Maybe because he blamed Xyience for selling him steroids behind his back.

"They probably don’t like me because I beat the sh_t out of them and I’d beat the crap out of them again."

He means he laid on top of them for 25 minutes.

Does anyone even care anymore? I highly doubt he didn't take steroids. As I said the last time I posted something about this, too much time has passed for him to be able to prove anything, and his getting a "reduced sentence" simply isn't fair. He's only half guilty? I just don't see it. If he weren't Dana's buddy, he probably would've been released for drawing this much negative attention on the company.

[Krazikarl]

Well, about the only thing we know for sure is that he didnt really get the chance to defend himself before the commission because the CSAC is openly inept.

It looks like his supps had testosterone in them, but thats not what he tested positive for. He didnt say that they had nano in them. So it looks like the positive might very well be from the flawed testing procedure. Assuming that everything he said was true, thats probably the most reasonable explanation.

Yeah, some of his supps had bad stuff in them, but if that 25% figure is true, everybody has bad stuff in them, and its just not tripping the tests because its at such a low level (which is why Sherk hasnt tested positive before despite the fact that he has been taking supps that had bad stuff in them).

Unless there is something in that interview that is a lie, then Sherk got hosed. It might not be reasonable to trust Sherk fully on this, but I sure as hell dont trust the CSAC, so I'm going to lean Sherk's way.

[Quintessential Studmuffin]

Originally Posted by notrightn0w

http://www.insidefighting.com/betwee....aspx?uid=4146

Reactions:

"I’ve taken a real big hit... I’ve lost sponsorship pay days, tons of exposure, people that backed out of main stream stuff. No one wants to touch that."

Maybe because he blamed Xyience for selling him steroids behind his back.

"They probably don’t like me because I beat the sh_t out of them and I’d beat the crap out of them again."

He means he laid on top of them for 25 minutes.

Does anyone even care anymore? I highly doubt he didn't take steroids. As I said the last time I posted something about this, too much time has passed for him to be able to prove anything, and his getting a "reduced sentence" simply isn't fair. He's only half guilty? I just don't see it. If he weren't Dana's buddy, he probably would've been released for drawing this much negative attention on the company.

Couldn't have said it any better. Rep for this.

[jlruthven84]

I don't completely trust either entity, but it seems like Sherk got a bit shafted here. I'm not really a fan at all, but I hate to see him shelved for this long due to something that wasn't properly addressed.

[notrightn0w]

Originally Posted by jlruthven84

I don't completely trust either entity, but it seems like Sherk got a bit shafted here. I'm not really a fan at all, but I hate to see him shelved for this long due to something that wasn't properly addressed.

He did get shafted for being up in the air for so long, but I really do not agree with him getting a reduced sentence because it was too late for either party to prove their point. Whether he knew it or not, dude tested positive. He should have gotten the full year suspension.

[ArMnHC]

to me, all of Sherk's interviews lately have consisted nothing of being a cry baby and constant whining. you got caught cheating dude, just be happy you got off as easy as you did!

i want to see BJ tap him more and more as the days pass

[Krazikarl]

Sherk was able to show specifically how the testing was flawed, yet we still have people here saying stuff like "Whether he knew it or not, dude tested positive."

THEY HAD EVIDENCE THAT THE TEST WAS FLAWED. IF THE TEST GIVES OUT FALSE POSITIVES, NO RATIONAL PERSON CAN USE IT AS JUSTIFICATION FOR PUNISHMENT.

If you want to dispute his claim that the test gives false positives, well I guess you could try that, but so far nobody has offered counter proof and they had written evidence that Sherk's account was correct (according to Sherk anyway).

Let be honest here. People are reacting this way because Sherk isnt a popular fighter. We have already seen it where we have people like the original poster fighter bashing him with the lay n pray accusation (and somebody repping him for the bash). If Sherk was an exciting standup guy, people would be up in arms. Disgusting really that people act this way just because of his fighting style.

Originally Posted by notrightn0w

Whether he knew it or not, dude tested positive. He should have gotten the full year suspension.

How about you actually read what you post? OK?

Sherks supps tested postive for testosterone. He flunked the test because of nano. See the problem here?

His central claim isnt ignorance. He's not claiming that his supps necessarily caused the false positive because he only knows about testo in his supps. He's claiming that the test was done wrong (without water blanks), which could cause a very low level false positive (and remember that his test showed VERY low levels of nano, which makes the idea plausible).

[FE_EatsChildren]

if it's because they didn't water blank the machine then why didn't more than hermes(who tested for a different type of steroid) and sherk test positive? were they just out to get sherk? i dunno man.. i have no idea what to think about this situation anymore.. just let the dude hurry up and lose to bj.

[Krazikarl]

Order? Sherk barely tested positive. If it was from the residue from the person before him, then it wouldnt be enough for somebody after him. Or they could have blanked it after, but not before his. Presumably this is all in the log that he mentions from the drug testing people. Obviously all this is speculation since we dont have the full story from Sherk and his lawyer, but Sherk should have been allowed to fully present his side for rational analysis.

[notrightn0w]

Originally Posted by Krazikarl

Sherk was able to show specifically how the testing was flawed, yet we still have people here saying stuff like "Whether he knew it or not, dude tested positive."

THEY HAD EVIDENCE THAT THE TEST WAS FLAWED. IF THE TEST GIVES OUT FALSE POSITIVES, NO RATIONAL PERSON CAN USE IT AS JUSTIFICATION FOR PUNISHMENT.

If you want to dispute his claim that the test gives false positives, well I guess you could try that, but so far nobody has offered counter proof and they had written evidence that Sherk's account was correct (according to Sherk anyway).

Let be honest here. People are reacting this way because Sherk isnt a popular fighter. We have already seen it where we have people like the original poster fighter bashing him with the lay n pray accusation (and somebody repping him for the bash). If Sherk was an exciting standup guy, people would be up in arms. Disgusting really that people act this way just because of his fighting style.



How about you actually read what you post? OK?

Sherks supps tested postive for testosterone. He flunked the test because of nano. See the problem here?

His central claim isnt ignorance. He's not claiming that his supps necessarily caused the false positive because he only knows about testo in his supps. He's claiming that the test was done wrong (without water blanks), which could cause a very low level false positive (and remember that his test showed VERY low levels of nano, which makes the idea plausible).

I read what I posted hermano, if I hadn't I would not have posted it.

I don't believe a word of what the man says. He's suddenly an authority on steroids in supplements? Those claims were in other interviews, this isn't the one interview he's done since 73 you know. His previous interviews went from "...It's because I work so hard.", to "... it was in my supplementss, I didn't knowingly take it." , "the test was done wrong."

I liked Sherk before all of this bitching.

I used to adore the man's training ethic until this entire situation came about. I even convinced some of my pure grappling friends to check him out. I admire good wrestlers as I used to do so myself, but don't say " I beat the shit out of____" when all you did was hold them down. If he would have subbed them, gnped them, or brutally dominated I would be okay with that statement as I was okay with the Ws on his record. Instead he ate knees taking them down laid it out for 5 rounds.

As for the " If Sherk was an exciting standup guy, people would be up in arms." comment, I'm a fan of well rounded fighters, there is maybe one or two purists I like.


I suppose you and I will have to disagree with the Sean Sherk subject.