Jared Barnes, newly appointed writer at Brawl Sports, posted an article asking for takes on Sean Sherk’s situation after pointing out some of the historical facts revolving around his case with the CSAC. He points out specifically some comments that Sherk made involving his the carryover of the testing machine, how urinalysis isn’t as accurate as blood work, and how he believes that the CSAC just wanted to make an example out of him. In response to some of the claims Sherk has made and to air out some of the research I had done over the last year revolving around the case, I’d like to point out why I believe Sherk is guilty in a capacity he didn’t knowingly take steroids, he was just a victim of what many drug testing associations tell athletes every year… over the counter supplements aren’t safe.

First and foremost, I want to refute Sherk’s claims with some solid facts. The carryover issue was one of the most interesting pieces of the case when it was first exposed during the CSAC hearings. In fact, it sounded legitimate when reading over the hearing notes, and it certainly created some theories from other writers that Sherk may in fact be innocent. Armando Garcia’s interview with Sherdog.com in the coming days proved to be one of the more informative pieces that swayed my opinion in the case.

Specifically, Garcia mentions that Quest actually tests each sample multiple times and cleans the machine after every single test. Garcia stated during the interview that it was specifically four separate tests during the testing process. The oddity in Sherk’s entire claim is that the machine was used four times to test his sample with all tests coming back positive for Nandrolone. The machine was cleaned after each test, and an empty vial test was run to catch any carryover from the previous testing. My question is… if the test before Sherk’s test was positive and the machine was then cleaned, carryover was found, how long does the positive steroid stick to the testing instrument? Is it safe to think that nandrolone from a previous test was in the machine for FOUR separate tests with an incompetent technician completely ignoring it? Doubtful, unbelievably doubtful.

Barnes asked the question “How did Sherk pass three polygraphs and have a clean blood work test if he was guilty?” This has been the big question. How was it possible? As he states in his article with a follow-up question, third party testing could have been biased or he could have simply tested clean with other testing at a later date. The problem is that Nandrolone’s half life is small, very small… allowing fighters to cycle easily in its use. A day or two can make all the difference.

Secondly, Sherk may not have actually taken steroids willingly. As we saw on his All Access show, Sherk’s supplement regiment was about as insane as you can possibly get. Popping loads of supplements is obviously a danger when it comes to drug testing. Studies indicate that over 25% of over-the-counter supplements can contain ingredients that can cause positive drug tests, and Sherk was taking many more supplements than the average athlete and probably many more than the average UFC fighter. If asked if he took steroids, stating his answer as “No.” would technically be a true answer if he didn’t take them willingly.

Nonetheless, the bottom line is that Sherk did have a performance-enhancing drug within his system during his fight with Hermes Franca. He did not know about the studies that the CSAC has posted on their website stating that over-the-counter supplements can cause positive testing. It also states that it is the fighter’s responsibility to know what is going into his/her body. If Sherk didn’t take steroids, it’s a bad situation for him, but maybe reading a few lines on their website may have helped his situation before engorging himself with supplements.

Sherk can still reclaim monies lost due to fight paydays and sponsorships if he can find supplements that can cause the Nandrolone positive. There have been plenty of cases in the past involving athletes suing supplement companies and winning pretty easily. Almost all of the cases result in out of court settlements. If Sherk is that pissed off about the situation, he should pursue those avenues to reclaim his money and his standing with MMA fans.