That makes a great deal of sense. If it ain’t broke…
3 Likes
He is a professional rider at international standard and has been for years. He knows how the system works and what he should be doing to comply with FEI Clean Sport.
8 Likes
That makes sense, and that the USEF confirmed his statements also lends more weight than just hearing from the rider himself. I thought this was a classy statement.
“I’m genuinely sorry to the sport,” he said. “It gives us a black eye. It looks worse than it really was. I’m sorry to everyone. I feel bad for my family, my owners, my sponsors, the sport, FEI, everybody associated with the sport.”
IMO he has always represented the sport well, and seems to do a better job than most of keeping track of the bigger picture.
13 Likes
I can totally see forgetting to renew a TUE. Mine expired in February this year and I did not receive notification of need to renew. The point is moot since I no longer take the medication
It sounds like a failure of his business practice, record keeping etc.
I bet the horses all have up to the minute records shots and passports. YOu know how horse people can be about self care.
15 Likes
That’s a pretty harsh take when there is apparently a track record of him doing exactly that, and you go long periods of time without a renewal date coming up AND apparently don’t get renewal notices. The explanation in the article, backed up by USEF, seems credible IMO. I am very diligent and travel regularly for business and have for over 20 years, and have still managed to have my drivers’ license, passport and TSA PreCheck expire on separate occasions without me realizing it! My passport expired while I was on a trip to Canada, thankfully just months before it was necessary for a border crossing, although my colleagues really enjoyed coming up with ridiculous scenarios to get me back across the border without it 
But the point being even very conscientious people can make mistakes like this one, his just happens to be very public and with consequences.
37 Likes
When did the status of being a professional rider at the FEI level start carrying with it the weight of no longer being able to make an honest mistake? He is human and not infallible. I’m not implying there should be no consequences— the admin rules were not followed, so he has been punished and addressed it publicly, owning the mistake. I’m referring to the general attitude/harshness toward the rider. It’s not like they found illicit drugs in his system. Good grief.
34 Likes
Echoing the conversation above, amphetamines (which are in the class of drugs he tested positive for) have been prescribed for “hyperactivity” since the 1930s. Ritalin hit the market in the 1950s. Coining the disorders “ADD” then “ADHD” started in the 80s.
So while I don’t know the specific medication, ADHD medication when he was a child in the 80s is plausible. Certainly not as common as today, but kids also didn’t have the degree of hyperstimulation rewiring their brains yet.
1 Like
I don’t think anyone was saying he doesn’t. I think CotH’ers with ADHD are saying that things slip through the cracks when your cognitive load is high. Sometimes you pay the ADHD tax, like a late fee or forgetting something important at home. Sometimes you know you have to do something and you can think about it constantly and it just… doesn’t get done. I procrastinated replying to a simple text for two days straight and all I could think about was how I needed to reply to the text. And yet I did not reply to the text.
He gave an apology and the FEI gave him a suspension. I have no idea what else you could want or expect.
18 Likes
Just read that he’s hired an attorney, and is asking for a retroactive TUE. Same meds, same Dr since he was 12.
11 Likes
So how long is he suspended?
I think it’s currently temporary pending appeal.
I would be surprised if they win their appeal.
However, given that he has a longtime history of a TUE for this specific substance and it was a missed expiration date, maybe they will be more flexible than they are with other “mistakes.”
5 Likes
It could also be something that they missed the deadline by within a small number of days and had already filed a new TUE before any notices came from the FEI.
Em
6 Likes
Absolutely.
I think we’ve all seen that they tend to draw a hard line even when it is an obvious mistake. However, in this case, the paperwork was all in place, there was just a deadline missed. It would be pretty cruddy to throw the book at someone over dates. 
But it also wouldn’t surprise me for them to hold their zero tolerance stance.
5 Likes
But others can abuse their horses or finish the XC with a bloody mouth repeatedly.
FEI making less and less sense these days.
I think a fine would have made more sense.
29 Likes
I think it’s an Olympic sport thing, not an FEI thing-- the rules are applied to runners, swimmers etc.
4 Likes
That makes sense, they should tighten up the abuse rules too imo.
3 Likes
The original COTH article has been updated with a statement from the International Testinf Agency:
As publicly disclosed by the athlete himself, the ITA can now confirm that the rider filed a request to obtain a retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemption for amfetamine,” the statement read. “The request has been referred to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which needs to give its agreement pursuant to the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemption. If the retroactive TUE is granted, the case will not be considered as an anti-doping rule violation and no consequences will be imposed. If the retroactive TUE application is denied, the results management of the case will be pursued.
8 Likes
I also noticed that you don’t get a renewal or expiration notice and it can often be years in between. A lot to keep track of.
7 Likes
As some others have pointed out, I am baffled at why some behavior (OT, ML to name a couple) largely goes unpunished in comparison to Buck’s situation.
Rules are rules – sure – but come on.
25 Likes
