It is fitting that a golfer would self report his own PED suspension. That's exactly what happened with Scott Stallings recently as he became the third PGA Tour pro to be suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel has the report.
The three-time Tour winner never failed a drug test, but after suffering from fatigue and being advised by his doctor to take DHEA, an anabolic agent that is the precursor to testosterone production and banned by the Tour, he realized he’d violated the policy and turned himself in which is tantamount to a positive test under the anti-doping program.
“Whether I intended to or not, I took something that wasn’t allowed. I called a penalty on myself, that’s the best way to look at it,” Stallings told GolfChannel.com. “I did it immediately, so much so it took [the Tour official] by surprise.”
Stallings joins Doug Barron and Bhavik Patel as the only three golfers to serve PED-related suspensions. Vijay Singh was also suspended, but that ruling was later reversed.
It doesn't appear that Stallings did this on purpose, according to Hoggard. Rather, the DHEA was advised by his doctor to help get his energy level up. Stallings didn't even realize he'd done anything wrong until two months after he started taking it.
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