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Chael Sonnen: California State Athletic Commission Suspends His Fighting License

4K views 67 replies 32 participants last post by  Ape City 
#1 ·
That headline is not a typo: ESPN.com’s MMA page is reporting that UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen is suspended from fighting in not one, but two states.

Sonnen has had an ongoing issue with the Nevada State Athletic Commission ever since having his fighter’s license suspended for failing a drug test back in September of 2010.

That suspension, reduced from one year to six months, was over in March, but Sonnen has yet to receive a new license in Nevada.

CSAC executive officer George Dodd said the suspension was issued after their legal panel felt that Sonnen may “have perjured himself during a testimony at an appeal hearing in December related to his ban for elevated levels of testosterone.”

This seriously affects Sonnen’s ability to get back in the Octagon, since this suspension “asks North American regulatory bodies to contact California before issuing the UFC middleweight contender a license to compete, corner, promote or act as a manager.”

Sonnen and his lawyers asked for a CSAC special hearing on May 18 in Los Angeles to have the suspension revoked, and the CSAC obliged.

The topics will not just pertain to Sonnen’s failed drug test for elevated testosterone; the legal charges he received last month from a money laundering scandal in Oregon are also going to be brought into the discussion.

Just to reiterate, Sonnen received 24 months' probation, a $10,000 fine and the suspension of his realtor’s license in that case.

Dodd eventually decided that Sonnen’s questionable testimony, as well as his actions as a business professional, brought "discredit to the mixed martial arts community," which he felt was enough to suspend his license indefinitely.

Officials in both California and Nevada agree that no one was aware that Sonnen was receiving testosterone therapy for hypogonadism, a condition that limits the body’s natural production of the hormone.

ESPN.com also reports that Sonnen has been receiving treatment for this condition since February of 2008. However, Florida’s athletic commission indicated that Sonnen’s drug test from his November 2008 fight with Paulo Filho came back clean.

Marc Ratner, the head of regulatory affairs in the UFC, indicated that he had “no idea whatsoever” that Sonnen was receiving prescribed testosterone until his failed drug test in 2010.

Ratner, who is also a former head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, indicated that he never gave Sonnen permission to receive testosterone therapy, although a “therapeutic use exemption” is not unheard of in this situation.

Even more interestingly, Dr. Jeff Davidson, a physician hired by the UFC, says that he knew about Sonnen’s hypogonadism treatment prior to his August title fight with Anderson Silva.

This actually further hurts Sonnen’s case, though, as Davidson wrote to the CSAC that Sonnen never disclosed his treatment to regulators.

Should Sonnen fail to have the suspension repealed on the 18th of this month, it is quite possible that his MMA career could come to an unceremonious end.
The hole what Sonnen dug gets deeper.

Having said that, I cant find any trace of a parent article at ESPN like this article suggests. Being Bleacher Report, you never know if its bullshit.
 
#3 ·
Is this an election year for the NSAC and CSAC?

If it's true that UFC doctors knew that Chael was on therapy then how does that hurt his case in any way?
The officials in an athletic commission are usually appointed.

This actually further hurts Sonnen’s case, though, as Davidson wrote to the CSAC that Sonnen never disclosed his treatment to regulators.
If that's true, it means that Sonnen perjured himself in front of the CSAC for his hearing. He said he informed them before his fight with Yushin Okami, and thought he still had clearance to use it anytime he fought in California.
 
#4 ·
This is just turning into a witch hunt, the guy cheated and got caught but multiple time cheats and people who have done worse have all been forgiven once the suspension was served. This is blatantly an attack against Sonnen because there is no precedent where they done this to anyone else.
 
#58 ·
bingo...you hit it right on the head. UFC doesnt need Sonnen....dont give a damn how much of a "draw" and fan favorite he is. Homeboy is a all-around moron who expects people to give him some type of benefit of the doubt because he's "tough as nails" and "brings the fight"

there is a term for Chael Sonnen in many low income areas across America....."stupid ass nigro":thumb02:
 
#12 ·
I'm not a fan of Sonnen but I also don't really have any hard feelings against him for juicing. What I do hate is the way he tried to weasel out of it by coming up with this elaborate BS story about hypogonadism. Let this be a lesson when you get busted for juicing just MAN UP!

It wont be the first or last time an athlete was caught juicing, its how you deal with it that makes a difference. The best thing for him to do at this point is stop being defiant, come clean, apologize to the commission, the fans, Anderson Silva and the UFC.

The sooner he does that the quicker the story will go away.
 
#14 ·
I agree with this.

Sonnen found a hole in the legislation that "allowed" him to cheat. However he tried to out smart the commissions, instead of coming clean and apologized for the action.
Now, they´re making him pay for it.

I like the way the commissions are handling the case, i wish there were some guys with that kind of balls in the Portuguese athletic commissions, we have ridiculous low punishments for infractors here.
 
#17 ·
Lemme begin by saying that I absolutely hate Fail Sonnen. With that being said, I think he should be able to fight again. As much as I hate this turd, I'll admit that he does bring a lot to the table in the MW division. I think that instead of suspending him indefinitely, they should first, make him come clean, then either suspend him for another 6 months or 1 year again, or garnish wages (don't know if they can do that, but it seems like they should be able to take a percentage of his fight contract earnings). Let him fight, he does bring a lot of attention and competition to the UFC MW division, but as an extension to his punishment, the UFC should make him work his way up from the very bottom, like a debuting fighter, and if he's successful, and stays clean, against the low level fighters he could very well get back into contention in 3, 4 years.
 
#18 ·
This is just turning into one big joke. The fact that Sonnen has been convicted of his crimes should have no bearing on his status in MMA. The way these athletic commisions are acting is that they have the right to screw with a guys career because he has a criminal record.

Fine, he lied. He admits it now, so throw a punishment at him. Once he has served his time, just like jail, he's free to live his life, or free to fight again. Of course the leash will be much shorter but its his choice to either follow the rules, or break them again and suffer the consequences. Kizer's feelings are hurt because Sonnen lied to CSAC about talking to him. As far as his suspension is concerned, he's done. I don't see what gives these guys the rights to mess with a guys life just because he's made some mistakes (big stupid ones). Let him fight again, make him jump through lots of hoops on the way but don't take away his way of life. Just a bunch of power hungry individuals if you ask me.​
 
#19 ·
NBA, NFL regularly take players' criminal actions off the field/court pretty seriously and suspend for it. Not saying I agree with the practice but its not unprecedented for an athlete, even if the AC's are government rather than corporate.
 
#20 ·
Of course Sonnen lied, he told NSAC one thing and CSAC another, one has to be false. If they're making an example of him, then good, MMA is better off without someone like him. A criminal, a liar, a cheat, in my book that adds up to an idiot.

BTW, MMAFighting.com posted this article:
Chael Sonnen's Struggle With the Truth Isn't Just His Problem -- It's Ours, Too

In his own special way, Chael Sonnen told us this was coming. We just wouldn't listen. Or maybe we listened too much, but didn't understand. All we could hear was a pre-fight schtick that was half pro wrestling heel and half insult comic.

And we loved it. We begged for more. We acted as if there were no consequences because that's how Sonnen acted. Maybe we wanted to believe it just as much as he did.

In case you haven't heard, the California State Athletic Commission has said it won't be giving Sonnen his license back any time soon. It seems that commission officials are none too pleased about being openly lied to during his appeal hearing in December. Those government types are funny that way sometimes.

The trouble started when Sonnen appealed his suspension for elevated testosterone levels following his title fight at UFC 117 by claiming that he needed the extra testosterone for a legitimate medical condition. He even brought a doctor in a really nice t-shirt to back up his story, and he claimed that he'd had a conversation about his use of testosterone with Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer.

Kizer, however, denied ever having any such conversation with Sonnen. When he confronted Sonnen on it, Sonnen offered an explanation for his comments that Kizer dubbed "ridiculous."

Basically, he lied to California about what he'd said to Nevada, then lied to Nevada about what he'd said to California. Since this all happened at right around the same time as his guilty plea on federal money laundering charges, Sonnen has started to seem like the kind of guy no reputable athletic commission wants to give a license to, and it's hard to blame them.

Then again, stretching the truth until it snaps in half is nothing new for Sonnen. It's just that it used to be a lot more fun for the rest of us to listen to. Remember when he went on a radio show and claimed that Lance Armstrong had given himself cancer with his own steroid use? Remember when he then went on Jim Rome's show that and claimed those comments were made by some guy with a "Hispanic accent" impersonating him?

He was lying to us then, and we knew it. What's more, he knew that we knew it. Maybe that's what made the whole thing seem almost harmless. It was so ridiculous that at least it felt like he wasn't seriously trying to get away with anything.

It's the same with the pre-fight smack talk he directed toward UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and his camp. The stuff he wrote on Twitter (and yes, that was his Twitter, though he lied about that too) about Brazilians being a "piglet tribe of savages" and speaking a language that's one step up from pig Latin? That's some absurdly racist stuff. Only he didn't take too much heat for it, perhaps because it's even more absurd than it is racist.

But while fight fans might cut you some slack as long as you manage to be entertainingly offensive and dishonest, athletic commissions are another matter. When it comes to what substances were in your body when, and who you did and did not tell about it, they want serious answers rather than funny ones.

And, oh yeah, in case you wondering? They are actually going to check up on the accuracy of what you tell them. So that's something to consider.

But fans and media, we ate it up when Sonnen completely disconnected himself from reality ahead of UFC 117. We got caught up in the moment. Instead of ignoring his schtick, we practically begged him to turn up the volume. So he did, and we only encouraged him further.

Then the time came to tell the truth in a situation where the truth really mattered, and, well, by then Sonnen was out of practice. He'd gotten accustomed to a different type of cause and effect, and suddenly the behavior that had once earned him more air time now threatens to keep him out of the cage even longer.

And yes, that's Sonnen's fault. In the end, he's the one responsible for the words that come out of his mouth. But at the same time, we were content to go along for the ride when it seemed like harmless hype. We not only let him get away with it, we encouraged it.

Only now it's not so fun anymore. Now it keeps him from making a living as a fighter. Now we can't imagine what he must have been thinking. As if we had no role in helping him to think it to begin with.
 
#21 ·
Sonnen deserves to be made an example of, he continuously lies to the media now he has taken it a step further, lying to the commission while he is under oath. How stupid can you possibly be?

Be a man and come clean, you not only get back to making a lot of money faster, but you look better in the public's eye. Take Silva for example, he used steroids and spoke honestly in front of the commish and was somewhat rewarded for it.

I honestly don't care if I ever see Sonnen back inside the ring, he is all mouth and cant backup any of his talking.
 
#22 ·
Fowlkes needs to stop using the "we", as if everyone who reads the article is as dumb as he was. Some of us didnt swallow Chael's shit wholesale. We saw through it and said the stuff Ben's saying FROM THE BEGINNING.
 
#31 ·
Not in Nevada or California... Neither they, nor most other commissions will license him without a hearing, and he doesn't want to go to a hearing, so SF only found four states that would license him with just a urine sample.

I read it. What I got from it is the CSAC is essentially trying to blackball Chael by asking other commissions to talk to them before they issue him a license.
State athletic commissions almost always honor each other's suspensions. It's standard fare, not really blackballing.

This sounds just like the CASC running to their usual efficiancy, they screwed Sherk over and now Sonnen is being suspended because they have a HUNCH he lied?
A "hunch" he lied?

Sonnen said he talked to Kizer about the TRT and had permission to use it.

Then, journalists asked Kizer, and he said that never happened.

Sonnen said Kizer was lying, but it was okay, because HIPPA made it legally impossible for Kizer to confirm his story.

Of course, HIPPA has nothing to do with athletic commissions, and Kizer said so, and repeated that Sonnen was lying his ass off again.

Only then, after being caught twice, did Sonnen finally come up with the, "when I said 'I,' what I really meant was 'my' as in 'my manager.'" I guess in Oregon, there's some kind of silent, understood noun after possessive pronouns.

Kizer said, not only is that ridiculous, but Sonnen's manager never talked to him about Sonnen or TRT.

So, is it really a "hunch" that Sonnen lied? He admitted what he said was not, in fact, true. And he is now on his third story, and the last two have both been beyond idiotic.

The hunch turned into evidence as soon as Kizer responded to Sonnen's testimony.
 
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#27 ·
Commissions communicating and asking for consensus is nothing new- and even more appropriate in this particular case, where Chael actually lied and attempted to play one commission against another to benefit himself.
 
#28 ·
Fair enough. They talked to each other and caught him in the lie. Throw down the punishment, not an indefinate suspension. I'd be more content with them saying he has a lifetime ban in Nevada and California than a suspension that sounds like a fundraiser more than a decision.​
 
#29 ·
This sounds just like the CASC running to their usual efficiancy, they screwed Sherk over and now Sonnen is being suspended because they have a HUNCH he lied?

This is good news for Bisping....he would have been taken down relentlessly if these two had faced off.
 
#32 ·
He thought he was being slick by lying to the commission and now he is paying the consequences! He should take this time to reflect on his actions!
 
#33 ·
who gives a shit you stupid athletic commissions, no one cares about you we just want sonnen back in. i wonder how you all would react if jon fitch or gsp did this you would all say let him off.
 
#37 ·
I am a huge Chael fan but come on..

He's basically been caught so deep in a web of dishonestly he isn't just walking away with a slap on the wrist.

He deserves to be heavily scrutinized and punished.

The speculation about GSP or Fitch walking away from something like this is absurd.
 
#57 ·
Can anyone just make anyone take an oath or does it have to be somebody like a judge or a police officer? For instance, if I told my cousin "do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" and he said "yeah, sure", would that be a legal oath? This is a serious question by the way.

^I guess that answers my question.
 
#64 ·
Anyone? No. But some government officials are empowered to give an oath under certain circumstances. And many forms carry a penalty of perjury for false statements made on them.

I watched the hearing live, and I don't remember him being sworn in, but maybe I missed it. I'm just going to email the commission and see what they have to say.
He was.

It's at about 14:15.



I'm not sure about CA, but in most states, you can commit perjury in a lot more places than a court of law, including at the DMV.

But I'm guessing they were legally empowered to administer a binding oath, based on this, from David Bixenspan's conversation with Dodd.

For now, it's an athletic commission matter. The rest is up to Karen Chappelle. If she feels that criminal charges are warranted after the commission hearing, then she could move forward with them, but there's no way to be sure for now. It's only a criminal case if she decides to make it one.
So Dodd makes it sound like there was a legal oath taken, as that would be a necessary element to have before anyone could even consider charging him with a crime.

I doubt any criminal charges will come of this though. Perjury trials are usually more trouble than they're worth, and Sonnen isn't as high profile as Barry Bonds.
 
#66 ·
So he's a felon, then he commits a felony. That must mean he's a double felon! Like a double rainbow. I wonder if they send those people to super secret double prison?
 
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