T.J. Dillashaw has spoken out following his two-year suspension.
Dillashaw was riding a wave of momentum going into 2019, but we’re only in April and it has been a disastrous year for the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title holder. He was stopped by Henry Cejudo in 32 seconds, failing in his bid to become a two-division champion. Dillashaw was then suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for one year, relinquishing his bantamweight gold as a result. To make matters worse, Dillashaw was suspended for two years by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for EPO use.
T.J. Dillashaw Issues Apology Following EPO Use
Dillashaw took to his Instagram account to upload a video split into parts:
“I messed up. I’ve been having a hard time trying to forgive myself for this, which I should have a hard time. I should have a hard time forgiving myself. I understand the criticism and scrutiny coming my way. But what I really feel bad about is the kinda bad light I’m bringing on my coaches, my family, my teammates. They had no involvement in this and I feel the worst for them. I have a 15-month old son and I want to be a role model for him. … But I gotta man up to what I did. I accepted all penalties, I didn’t try fighting this thing. I’m gonna sit for the next two years.”
Dillashaw noted that he recently had surgery done on his right shoulder. He plans on going under the knife for his left shoulder in two weeks. The former UFC champion said he isn’t done competing:
“I’m a fighter and I’m about to fight my way through this one. I’ve already apologized, but I’ll apologize to my fans. Anyone I let down, obviously my family, my coaches, my teammates. I can’t say sorry enough for stuff that you’re dealing with because of me. But this isn’t the end of me, I’ll be back.”
What do you make of T.J. Dillashaw’s apology?
