From the Associated Press, with statements below from Hamilton, his lawyer and Rock Racing owner Michael Ball …

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton received an eight-year ban from cycling Tuesday, all but ending his drug-tainted career after he admitted to taking a steroid.

The penalty handed down by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency came two months after Hamilton acknowledged taking an herbal product to combat depression, knowing it included a steroid.

“There’s nothing to fight about,” Hamilton said in an April interview with The Associated Press.

This was Hamilton’s second anti-doping violation. At age 38, an eight-year ban for Hamilton is effectively a lifetime ban, said Travis Tygart, the CEO of USADA.

It is “an assurance that he is penalized for what would have been the remainder of his competitive cycling career,” Tygart said.

It brings to an end a career that included a win at the 2004 Olympics that was overshadowed by a blood doping scandal. The victory was followed shortly by a positive doping test, but Hamilton retained the gold medal because the backup ‘B’ sample could not be positively tested.
A month later, however, he tested positive again, and served a two-year suspension that ended early in 2007.

He long denied blood doping, though on the latest positive test, he denied nothing. “I knew it was banned,” Hamilton said.

Some of his advisers told him to fight the latest positive but he decided against it, instead deciding to focus on battling his depression. Hamilton said going through a divorce and his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis made things worse in recent months.

For Immediate Release

Statements in response to the penalty handed down to Tyler Hamilton by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

Tyler Hamilton:

”The eight-year suspension is unfortunate and disheartening. At this time, however, my focus remains on my mother, my family, battling my depression and getting better. This has been an extremely difficult and trying period, but I am determined to get through it.

“I would like to thank Michael Ball, the Rock Racing team, my fans, family and friends, for their continued support during this time. Moving forward, I am going to put a lot of my time and energy towards helping others who face severe depression overcome the obstacles this illness brings.”


Michael Ball, Rock Racing Owner:

“While we understand Tyler was given the minimum suspension under the current rules, it is unfortunate that this young man who has so much left to give to cycling both on and off the bike, will not have the opportunity to continue in the sport he dedicated so much of his life to.”

Chris Manderson, Counsel For Tyler Hamilton:
“Tyler took an herbal anti-depressant in a moment of crisis, with no intention or possibility of enhancing his cycling performance. Despite that, the rules do not distinguish between an intentional doping violation and Tyler’s attempt to self medicate for depression, and the USADA Protocol imposes a minimum eight-year penalty in this situation.

“The penalty is no different than it would be for an athlete who intentionally used testosterone in competition. USADA could not have imposed a lesser penalty even if it had been understanding of Tyler’s situation and wanted to impose a sanction more fitting to Tyler’s lack of performance-enhancing intent. He would have no realistic chance of reducing the penalty in an arbitration hearing.

“Although we believe the sanction is exceptionally harsh and completely disproportional to the transgression, Tyler has chosen to focus on getting better instead of fighting a pointless battle against the anti-doping regime.”