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Brandon Banks' suspension shows CFL drug policy works, but is a blow to Ticats

Hamilton Tiger Cats' Brandon Banks reacts after his touchdown was called back against the Calgary Stampeders during the CFL's 102nd Grey Cup football championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, November 30, 2014. REUTERS/Todd Korol (CANADA - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) (REUTERS)

The CFL has had a performance-enhancing drug-testing policy since 2010, but the toughening of it prior to this season has produced remarkable results. The latest is Hamilton Tiger-Cats' returner/receiver Brandon Banks' two-game suspension for testing positive for 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (a psychedelic hallucinogenic drug also known as MDA or tenamfetamine). That's the third suspension under the drug policy this season, and the third suspension in its history, as no suspensions were actually handed out from 2010 to 2015. That suggests the toughened policy is working, and accomplishing its goal of providing a fair playing field, especially when it's clear that even a star like Banks can be caught. This test is bad news for the Ticats, though; they're fighting for their playoff lives, and now they have to do so without one of their biggest stars. Here's Banks' statement on his suspension:

“I would like to apologize to my coaches, teammates, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization, and our great and loyal fans for putting myself in this situation. It’s my responsibility to know what’s on the banned substance list and there is no excuse for my violation of the rules. My mistake has not only hurt my team, but my family and friends, and for that I am extremely sorry. I will work very hard over the next two weeks to prepare myself both mentally and physically to return to the field and contribute to bringing a Grey Cup championship back to the City of Hamilton.”

And here's the Ticats' statement:

“The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fully endorse the Canadian Football League’s joint drug testing/substance abuse policy with the CFLPA, and we’re very disappointed to learn of Brandon’s violation. He has acknowledged his error in judgment and is now being held accountable for his actions. We support Brandon as an organization and will help him by any means possible to continue to grow as a football player and person off the field. We fully expect him to play at a high level when he returns to the lineup after serving his two-game suspension.”

It's also interesting that Banks' most recent tweet is a retweet of Arizona Cardinals' safety Tyrann Mathieu, who's also had run-ins with (non-performance-enhancing) drug-testing policies. The sentiment seems appropriate:

The three suspensions under the drug policy this year are ground-breaking, as from the policy's inception in 2010 through 2015, there were no public violations of it (there may have been violations, but the first one for each player was kept secret and only involved additional testing and counselling). The only positive drug tests announced were those from the CFL combine (before players actually made it into the league and thus were covered by the policy), and while those players received suspensions at the CIS level, their only punishment at the CFL level was that first stage of increased testing. The wave of combine violations last year prompted the director of Canada's only World Anti-Doping Agency-approved lab to complain (with backup from WADA) and stop testing CFL samples, and the league's inability to find another lab that would take them meant no tests were conducted in 2015.

The WADA pushback led to the CFL and the CFLPA coming up with much harsher rules for both prospects and current players, and while some of those rules are potentially problematic (the CFL now bans players who tested positive elsewhere for a year) and WADA's complaints were hypocritical considering how they ignored the similar NCAA/NFL crossover, the move to publicizing first offences and suspending players for them seems strong, as does the increased testing (from 35 per cent of players to tests equal to 100 per cent of players). It provides proof this policy's actually working, and it should act as a deterrent to discourage other CFL players from using performance-enhancing substances. Banks follows Calgary defensive tackle Quinn Smith (who tested positive for anabolic steroid methandienone, and also tested positive as a prospect) and Winnipeg defensive back Bruce Johnson (who, like Banks, tested positive for MDA) in earning suspensions this year, and those suspensions (three games for Smith given his previous violation, two for Johnson and Banks for first violations) seem fair; they're not season- or career-ending, but they're a significant punishment, and they serve notice to these guys that the next violation will be a nine-game suspension.

As per the drug in question, some might wonder why MDA (which is largely seen as for recreational use, and is related to MDMA, or ecstasy) merits a suspension. That's not a CFL call, though; the CFL does not test for recreational drugs, but it tests for substances on WADA's banned list, and methylenedioxyamphetamine is a specified stimulant banned by WADA. Does it actually increase performance? Well, a hallucinogen wouldn't seem to be helpful to football players, but the stimulant effects of MDA could theoretically be beneficial. That's probably why it's on the list. At any rate, that's not a CFL decision; WADA administers its own banned list and classifies this as performance-enhancing, and it's become pretty clear that the CFL needs to follow WADA on that front to have any sort of useful drug policy.

This is a notable blow for the Tiger-Cats. They're 6-9 with three games left to play, and while they still could reach first in the East, that's looking less and less likely. Ottawa's 7-7-1, so Hamilton would have to win at least two of their remaining games (this week's is against the Redblacks, so that helps) and have Ottawa lose all three (or two if the Ticats win out) to get there. They're in a fight for their playoff lives, too; there will be a crossover this year, so Hamilton needs to finish at least second to make the postseason. Moreover, the Ticats are also using backup quarterback Jeremiah Masoli thanks to Zach Collaros' ongoing concussion struggles; losing Banks (who has 29 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games this year, plus 2,023 combined return yards and three return touchdowns) makes things even tougher for them. His suspension is a sign the drug policy is working, though, and that it applies to everyone. Players across the league will need to be extremely cautious what they take to avoid missing critical games.