Pubdate: Sat, 11 Feb 2012
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2012 The Calgary Sun
Contact: http://www.calgarysun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.calgarysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author: Jose Rodriguez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

NOBODY'S BUSINESS

Whether or Not Diaz Smoked Up During Fight Week Shouldn't Matter

Here's a highly unpopular opinion.

I don't really care if Nick Diaz smoked a joint in the days before he 
stepped into the cage at UFC 143.

To be honest, I don't really care if he was doing rails off a 
hooker's ass in his hotel room during fight week.

As long as whatever he did in the privacy of his own lifestyle didn't 
give him an unfair advantage -- or unsafe disadvantage -- on fight 
night, it's really nobody's business.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission came back with test results for 
Diaz's fight with Carlos Condit that found the 28-year-old had 
marijuana metabolites in his blood -- hardly a performance-enhancing drug.

This is the second time the NSAC has found traces of pot in 
post-fight testing of Diaz.

The first was in 2007, when he defeated Takanori Gomi with a rare 
gogoplata, only to have the victory scratched due to the drug test.

At that time, he received a six-month suspension.

This time, he will likely get a year.

Now, I don't have problems with pre- and post-fight testing of 
athletes to catch cheaters.

Those who juice up deserve to be outed and punished.

But it is not the job of sanctioning body pee-testers to go looking 
for things that would have no effect on a fight.

They aren't the cops or lifestyle police.

Same way they don't care whether Diaz was jaywalking across Las Vegas 
Blvd. or may have robbed a liquor store on his way to Mandalay Bay, 
they shouldn't care that he may have smoked pot in the days leading 
up to the fight.

It takes about 10 days for marijuana to leave the bloodstream, or so 
the experts tell me. Someone who smoked a joint over a week before 
can hardly be considered high on fight night.

If Diaz was packing bowls in his dressing room, then it's not a 
question of blood testing, but prudent fighter supervision.

If he wasn't, then chances are he wasn't high when he walked into the 
Octagon and there was no increased danger to his safety.

And that is the only thing the NSAC should concern itself with.

The big-picture folk would point to the fact recreational drug use by 
fighters gives the sport a black eye.

It sends the wrong message, yadda, yadda, yadda. Really? These guys 
beat each other up for a living. Black eyes are encouraged.

These people aren't there to be held up as exemplary citizens to the 
great unwashed masses.

If you want to use pro athletes as role models for your children, you 
should give your head a shake.

If that pro athlete is Nick Diaz, you may want to opt for a full lobotomy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom