VADA Retaliates With Harsh Reality Check In Response to Ryan Garcia’s Legal Team’s Statement

Ryan Garcia‘s troubles don’t seem to be ending anytime soon. Since the American boxer tested positive for ostarine near his Devin Haney fight, his world has been turned upside down, as he battles a looming ban and fine. While he has maintained innocence, the testing results showed otherwise. But as his legal team pushed for contaminated supplements to paint a clear picture, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) has clarified its stance on athletes’ liability for consuming supplements.

ESPN had reported that Garcia, 25, had listed two supplements on his control form during the testing: NutraBio SuperCarb and Body Health Perfect Amino. Moreover, the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory tested these supplements positive for the banned substance, shifting the focus to contaminated supplements as to how ‘KingRy’ ingested ostarine. However, according to the body, the responsibility lies with the athlete to ensure that they carefully test the supplements.

The VADA released a statement on its X handle and specified that athletes were responsible for anything they took. The body wrote in the post, “Fighters should carefully check supplements before taking them. Whether listed or not, no anti-doping organization approves supplements. Athletes remain responsible for anything they take.”

Further, the statement pointed out that fighters were strictly liable for the ingestion of a banned substance, irrespective of how it reached there. Therefore, it suggested that the Victorville native would be held guilty for testing positive for ostarine. But, as Garcia lacked intention, the charges and punishment wouldn’t be severe.

Ryan Garcia’s legal team hopes for a reduced punishment

Paul Greene, Garcia’s attorney, expected the New York State Athletic Commission to impose a less harsh punishment. He told ESPN, “I’m hopeful that will be on the very lowest end of how they determine these cases.” He reasoned that the “innocent mindset” would bolster their case and also mentioned that the lightweight boxer wouldn’t have known about the contamination beforehand.

But Haney’s team doesn’t hold the same opinion. Eddie Hearn is campaigning for the loss of ‘The Dream’ to rule into a disqualification win for their camp or no-contest. This would mean Haney, 25, would retain his undefeated record. Amusingly, after Garcia first tested positive, he resorted to B-sample testing and also hair testing. While the B-sample remained positive, hair testing didn’t show any signs of contamination. Notably, the likes of Amir Khan had been handed a ban of two years when tested positive for ostarine. It now remains to be seen how the NYSAC will handle the matter.

What do you make of this clarification by VADA about the supplements that fighters take? Do you think it spells trouble for Ryan Garcia? Let us know in the comments below.