Tim Means has accepted a six month suspension from USADA over a failed February drug test after it was determined the test was caused by a tainted supplement.
Means’ failed test came in an out of competition test on Jan. 21, with the result coming back on Feb. 3 as positive for Ostarine. Means was adamant from the beginning that he didn’t intentionally take anything illegal, and after providing sealed unopened containers of the supplements he was taking at the time of the test, USADA determined that one indeed had led to the test result.
“Following notification of his positive test, Means provided USADA with a sealed container of one of the dietary supplement products he was using at the time of the relevant sample collection,” USADA said in a release on Friday. “Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, testing conducted on the product by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that it contained Ostarine.”
Means was supposed to face Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Fight Night 83 at the end of February, but the failed test pulled him from the card. Now he’s been cleared to return after August 3.
Penick’s Analysis: Means had the same defense as Yoel Romero, which wound up being legitimate on both ends, but that’s yet another example of the supplement industry being extremely shady and fighters using them at their own risk. Six months is better than two years for Means here, and he can get back into the cage now later in the year, but fighters have to be aware that supplement use isn’t going to guarantee that they’re clean.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
Attention iPhone/iPad and Android users, if you’ve enjoyed our app in the past and followed us there, or if you’ve never checked it out, make sure to update to the latest version in the Apple store and/or Google Play store. We’ve launched a new look for the app, in line with our recent desktop overhaul. Make sure to check it out!
For current App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
Just curious how it is confirmed that he was actually taking that supplement during that time. If there is knowledge of a supplement that is contaminated, couldn’t a fighter just show up with an unopened bottle any time they fail a test and claim they were using it when they tested positive?
I think he gave them a list of supplements he was taking believing one of them to be tainted, not knowing which one it was, and provided unopened bottles of those same supplements for USADA to test.