Lawyer bats for Andre Russell, maintains he is a clean athlete

Following a one year ban imposed on West Indies allrounder Andre Russell by anti-doping panel in Kingston, Jamaica for violating whereabouts clause, Russell's lawyer Patrick Foster has called his client as innocent and described him as a clean athlete. 

A three-member tribunal comprising Hugh Faulkner, Dr Marjorie Vassell and Dixeth Palmer, a former Jamaica cricketer, found Russell guilty of being negligent in filing his whereabouts on three separate occasions within a 12-month period in 2015. That - under the World Anti-Doping Agency rules - amounted to a failed dope test.

Andre Russell at the JADCO disciplinary hearing at the Jamaica Conference Centre
Pic by Ricardo Makyn

Foster in a media release has said that there is a possibility of appeal against the ban."Mr.  Russell and his legal team are carefully reading and reviewing the ruling as regards the next steps and the possibility of an early appeal of the decision of the Panel's ruling," Foster said. "While we respect the ruling, we respectfully disagree with it and are very disappointed that the Panel saw it fit to impose a one-year ineligibility period."

“Naturally I am disappointed, but I am somewhat grateful it is not for two years. They seemed to have injected some mercy in the process, even though I did not agree with the decision.” Foster pointed out.

“I think the panel members were aware that he is a professional and he earns his income from cricket and this period of ineligibility essentially immobilises him for the one year. So, I think the panel was aware of that and there was evidence given of his professional status,” he added.

Russell's legal team had contested the allegation levelled against the player by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) through a case filed last March saying that he was "grossly negligent" about filing his whereabouts despite several reminders during the hearings that took place last year.

The lawyer stressed the fact that Russell has never been caught in such instances before. "Throughout his career as an international and domestic T20 cricketer, Mr. Russell has been tested on many occasions by various anti-doping agencies/bodies in several countries pursuant to WADA guidelines and he has never registered an adverse analytical finding," he said.

Foster said that Russell would continue to adhere to the rules even as he decides his next step on whether to challenge the verdict.

"Mr. Russell is a clean athlete who seeks to uphold the integrity of Cricket. He respects and makes every effort to be compliant with the rules of sport generally, cricket and to comply with anti-doping rules and procedures. Our client will continue to cooperate fully with JADCO and WADA."

Andre Russell who has played 1 Test, 53 ODIs and 43 T20Is for West Indies has been handed a ban which is effective from January 31, 2017 and will last until January 30, 2018.