MARK ENGLISH BELIEVES drug-testing in team sports has improved in recent times and says fellow athlete should not compete again, in order to protect the integrity of the sport of athletics.
Irish athlete Fagan received a two-year ban for EPO use but returned following the culmination of his punishment to post an Olympic qualifying time last month.
Yet English admits he would still be reluctant to compete on the same Irish team as Fagan.
“To be honest, I don’t think he should be picked,” he says. “That’s my personal opinion. I believe if you’re tested positive, you shouldn’t be let back in — the sport just needs that.
“If I were him, I would just not compete in the sport again for the sake of it. If Martin Fagan really loves the sport, he shouldn’t compete again.”
Recent reports that a Monaghan GAA player tested positive for steroids have brought the issue of drugs in sport to the fore again, but English — a former Gaelic footballer himself — feels that doping is far more prevalent in other sports.
“I don’t think it is going to be as pervasive in amateur sport — I don’t think there’s the same motivation for people to cheat [as opposed to] guys in athletics who are still chasing the dollars. I still think it’s vital that they are tested though, because there will always be a few that will try to cheat their way to the top.
“People need to believe in the sport they’re watching. If people are hearing that GAA players are being tested all the time, that gives more credibility to the sport. I think in athletics, things are improving in that regard. Especially in Ireland, people know that the test procedures are really strict and that’s good for people believing in Irish athletes.
“I would have felt in the past that a lot of team sports were getting off lightly. It is good that it’s going to come in, especially for the likes of rugby and GAA. I don’t know what it’s going to do but hopefully it’ll clean up those that are already doping and it’ll be a bit of a deterrent to those that are thinking about it. It’s a step forward for those sports, because they definitely needed it.”
The 22-year-old, who won a silver medal at the European Athletics Championships back in March (see video below) cites rugby and soccer as two sports where athletes are conceivably more prone to the pressures that prompt the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
“I know a few GAA lads and I wouldn’t think they’re doing anything dodgy. I don’t think there’s that motivation there to do it. I don’t think GAA’s the sport you need to look to — rugby and soccer are the big ones. They’re the ones with the money in it — the reasons that people would do it in the first place. So GAA wouldn’t be top of my list for doping investigations. I’d look to other sports — it’s pervasive in soccer.”
English also describes the dangers of unwittingly taking illegal substances, but feels that even in such unfortunate circumstances, athletes ultimately have themselves to blame.
“You just need to be sure that the company you’re getting it from is reliable and that all their products are drug tested… You’re responsible for what goes into your body at the end of the day — every athlete knows that. You just need to choose what products you’re taking very wisely.
“Of course it’s unfortunate for those that don’t know what they’re taking… Okay, you might be innocent, but you’ve failed the stupidity test, so I don’t think you should really be in the sport.
“The sport has been too tainted by drugs that you can’t give second chances. A few years ago, I might have been of the belief that people deserve a second chance, because I didn’t really realise how much drugs were tainting our sport — the amount of people that aren’t believing in it because of [the level of suspicion]. It just means that you can’t give these people a second chance.”
The UCD student consequently feels that lifetime bans are warranted for athletes who knowingly dope, but conceded that handing out such punishments is virtually impossible.
“In an ideal world, that would be perfect, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think four years is going to be the longest ban for legal reasons.
“Take Justin Gatlin for example, he’s running nearly quicker than he was when he tested positive. I wouldn’t like to be a 100m sprinter at the minute. There’s not a lot of 800m guys that have come back from a doping ban — I don’t think there are any really in the top 15 in the world.
“But there are a lot of sprinters — Tyson Gay, Gatlin and Mike Rodgers as well. You’re definitely retaining improvements from your doping period. It’s something to do with the cells in your muscles — they maintain the muscle memory. That’s another reason why there needs to be a lifetime ban on dopers — you don’t get rid of those benefits from the time that you’re doping. And that applies for a lot of drugs — not just steroids.”
(English was speaking at the launch of the Healthy Ireland Community Games “Steps to Health” initiative)
Yet despite the perceived unfairness of the situation, the Donegal native does not feel it should be up to clean athletes to refuse to boycott races involving former drug cheats.
“Athletes have such a short life — they need to race whenever they can. I think it’s up to meet directors and organisers. [Irish athlete] Brian Murphy had one of the best ideas — [he suggested that] any drug cheat would have to wear an orange bib for any future races that they compete in. It might deter the race directors from putting them in — they wouldn’t want to be associated with them.
“I think something like that is a good idea, because at the minute, most of the race directors want whoever is best in the world no matter what their background is, and it’s the same with sporting brands like Nike and Adidas. But I don’t think athletes should be asked to pull out of races just because someone that doped in the past is doing it — I don’t think that’s fair.
“I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I don’t think you’re going to get people to come together saying we’re going to pull out for you. I don’t think it’s realistic [to expect that].”
Mark English was speaking at the launch of the Healthy Ireland Community Games’ new initiative ‘Steps to Health’. For more information or to register, visit the website www.communitygames.ie.
Look out for the rest of our interview with Mark English, which will be up on the site this weekend.
Brilliant interview.
Everyone is a critic online and we all discuss player’s performances every week.
But some of the stuff Williams was subjected to over the years by ‘fans’ was just nasty and personal.
Good to hear he has some perspective on it. He had a pro rugby career with one of the biggest teams in Europe. Everyone commenting here and elsewhere would kill for that.
@Oval Digest: Your right. The criticism he received was deplorable at times. The fans who went to see Munster week in week out appreciated Duncan. It’s the armchair supporters and the keyboard warriors who think they know it all. Dave Kearney suffered a lot of the same. They guys are great professionals and do their very best. They deserve better
@Oval Digest: brilliant interview is right! Most normal folk freak out when they’ve annual performance reviews yet give it loads of the same week in week out to others that just happen to be gifted at sport!
Always found him a frustratingly solid guy to play against when he wore the Jolly Roger on his shirt. He continued in that vein and had a career albeit not in the highlight that was the dream of many!
Fair play!
I wish I was a Munster cap behind you Dunc. Enjoy whatever you do next. A great servant to Munster rugby.
@RabidHorizon: Well said!
O’Mahony’s tribute says it all. Totally underestimated player.
Loved the guy. Persevered through it all and just got on with it. Used to frustrate me a lot but towards the end of his career he was rock solid and the best 9 that regularly played in the league.
Always liked him, never deserved the grief he got which was almost always on the back of his forwards going backwards.
Very unfortunate with injuries & being compared to Stringer, O’Leary & Murray.
Great servant to Munster Rugby. Best for your next Career Duncan
@TL55: how is being compared to his peers unfortunate?
The way he was treated by a tiny fraction of Munster supporters was very unpleasant. Shows a nasty underside. Not at all a pop at Munster btw, every single sports team in the world has trolls like them, unfortunately. Plenty on these pages. Just have to mute them until they slither off. Met him a few times through work. One of the game’s nice guys. Absolute gent.
@Peter McCarthy: Yes you’re right. Some Munster fans didn’t treat him right. But we have to remember these guys try their best. But some are not as good as others. So long as they genuinely try their best that’s all you can ask. I think he he’s a very good last season with Munster.
He should go down to leinster and pass his experience onto McGrath and the young lads like he did with Murray and matthewson at Munster.
Great professional, gave his all every time.
You can’t as for any more.
Will never forget that double tackle in Sandy Park, unreal
I can empathize with him as I wasn’t great at scrum half either and got plenty of abuse from the sidelines. Difference was he stuck at it and never gave in to the haters and reached a seriously high level in rugby.
It’s a tough world when you are not blessed the the same high skill set as most of the players around you.
Unfortunately he was just a squad player and a ream of Munsters standing always needs and demands a higher calibre of player when they are one of the top teams in Europe.
I am sure he is a dead on bloke and you can feel the hurt from him in his interview but at the end of the day it’s a professional sport and you have to take the rough with the smooth
@Mark Smith: “take the rough with the smooth” – nobody deserves personal abuse for just doing their best.
I would love if each brave abuser had to wear a t-shirt with their quotes on, and walk through a crowd of ex players (with no cameras). Imagine how brave they would be then!
Dunc has the one of the most admirable traits you could look for in a person, perseverance.
He wasn’t a superstar 9, but you could never doubt the guys heart – and in his last few seasons, I think he was pretty good.