“Trying to Stir Up the Pot”: Aaron Brooks Comes Clean About Adderall Mess Keeping Him From Paris Olympics

The situation came as a bolt from the blue for Aaron Brooks. The young Nittany Lions wrestler was riding on a high horse after he secured his spot in the Paris Olympics by defeating the national icon David Taylor at the US Wrestling Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center. But, all of a sudden, he was thrown off it as a doping fiasco had cast a long shadow on his golden dreams. But the 23-year-old won’t go down without having his say about the matter first.

Only days ago, news about Brooks failing the drug test for last year’s U23 World Championships came to light, and since then his chances of making it to the banks of the Seine River have been highly speculated. Now, the four-time NCAA champion seems to have finally mustered up the courage to address the pressing questions to clear the mist.

In a recent interview with Justin Basch, Brooks sought to share his take on the allegations. “I’m surprised it took this long for people to twist it…I thought this was gonna happen right away like oh he’s using steroids“, said Aaron with a hint of a smirk on his face. However, he also claimed that such potshots don’t take a toll on him as he knows well that people are only trying to wriggle out a reaction from him.

“…they’re just trying to stir up the pot,” sounded the four-time Big Ten champion’s defense. He went on to reveal that the medication was prescribed for him to find his footing in college wrestling because it had been tumultuous for some time. “…whenever I went to take the drug test I even wrote down the medication on it like it wasn’t like I was hiding something,” the wrestler went on to clarify things further.

Alongside, Brooks mentioned that the authorities will decide on his chances to take part in the Olympics by next week. Till then, the future of the USA’s hope in the 86kg category hangs by a thread. But getting everything to align perfectly can be tricky.

Aaron Brooks’ adversity raises many questions

The retired mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen is still hopeful that Brooks will ultimately be given the green flag to fly to Paris and defend the USA’s gold in the 86kg weight class that Taylor won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “Still, in the process, they remain optimistic,” is what Sonnen had to say about the matter at hand.

Chael thinks everything comes down to the administrative authorities and their personal opinion on the matter. If it’s the country’s apex wrestling body gets to decide, a similar fate to Kurt Angle’s from 1996 (getting permission to participate) might be on the table for Brooks, and if not, then things get tricky. If Brooks is indeed barred from going to Paris in July, the USA will have to scurry and find the next best man to fill the void ASAP.

Brooks subdued Penn State alum David Taylor with an unprecedented 2-0 win at last month’s Olympic Trials. Under different circumstances, the Tokyo Olympics gold winner would have been called upon to represent the nation in the weight bracket. However, only days ago, Taylor announced his retirement as he took on his new coaching role at OSU.

In that case, the third-place finisher at the April event, Zahid Valencia of Sunkist Kids Wrestling could be the one who could be on his way with Kyle Snyder & Co. as part of Team USA’s wrestling delegation to the 2024 Games. Now, fans will have to hold their breath for a few more days before the verdict on the Penn State star’s Olympic hopes is made clear.