NASTULA CLAIMS STEROID CONTAMINATION, PRIDE CONTRACT ALLOWS "DOPING"
By Loretta Hunt
PRIDE heavyweight contender Pawel Nastula and his attorney issued a formal reply today to recent steroid allegations presented by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, suggesting an over-the- counter supplement the Polish fighter had been taking could have been contaminated with the illegal substance or one of its derivatives.
In a signed declaration obtained by The Fight Network, Nastula also stated that his written contract with PRIDE "allows usage of doping."
1996 Olympic Judo gold medalist Nastula's urinalysis tested positive for nandrolone, an anabolic steroid and non NSAC-approved substance, as well as the non-approved stimulants pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanoalmine following his October 21 PRIDE 32 loss to Josh Barnett in Las Vegas.
In a well-constructed affidavit from his attorney Howard L. Jacobs, Nastula listed five over-the-counter supplements he had been taking on or about the Oct. 21 competition date. Along with Pro-Line Whey Protein, a multivitamin supplement, and magnesium, the document also notated two supplements manufactured by Ultimate Nutrition.
"There is strong evidence that some of the very supplements and supplement companies the Respondent Nastula was using in October 2006 have documented histories of being contaminated with steroid precursors, and more specifically, nandrolone precursors," read the document.
Multiple exhibits included documentation of such cases specifically with the Ultimate Nutrition line. In addition, Nastula's levels for nandrolone read at 18 nanograms, consistent with a contamination reading, suggested the document.
NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed teens and single digits are considered low readings for this particular substance.
Regarding the positive tests for the stimulants pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanoalmine, Nastula documented over-the-counter, non-prescriptive cold and cough remedies he'd taken five days before the bout, and stated he was unaware that these medicines might contain non-approved substances.
"As an elite athlete in Poland, I have been subjected to doping tests, both in and out of competition (as a judo athlete, I was subjected to random no-notice drug testing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year)," read Nastula's declaration, estimating he had been tested some 50 times in his career without a positive result.
"Since I finished judo and started MMA with PRIDE organizations [sic], I have stayed truthful to my convictions of fair play, and I have always been against all forms of doping. I would withdraw myself from the competition, rather than cheat the fans, fighters, and most of all the youth for many of whom I am an idol.
"Despite the fact that my written contract with the promotion of PRIDE, which binds me worldwide, allows usage of doping, I never wanted and never needed such assistance."
A PRIDE representative refrained from making initial remarks on Pastula's declaration this afternoon, citing they had yet to review the document.
Pastula's attorney Jacobs is expected to participate in a NSAC hearing on the matter on Tuesday.