RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 11, 2010 (AFP) - Athletics coach Trevor Graham, banned for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency, is suing USADA for 30 million saying it slandered him.
Graham filed the federal lawsuit on Tuesday in the eastern district of North Carolina. Court documents show Graham says USADA ``slandered my name for the whole world to see.’’:rolleyes:
[YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION BEFORE IT CAN BE DAMAGED. SLANDER? USADA HAS NO CASE TO ANSWER! kk]
USADA handed Graham a lifetime coaching ban in July 2008 for his role in helping athletes acquire performance-enhancing drugs, something he has denied.
Graham, who is representing himself in the lawsuit, once coached now-disgraced sprint stars Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery.
He served a year of home confinement for making false statements to a federal agent in the BALCO steroid investigation - which he helped launch by sending a sample of the previously unknown steroid THG to the agency in 2003.
Graham says USADA violated his rights by not granting him a hearing before the American Arbitration Association.
``Mr. Graham was afforded a full legal process established under federal law prior to being sanctioned by USADA,’’ agency spokeswoman Erin Hannan said.
``This is obviously just another attempt by Mr. Graham to rob clean athletes of USADA’s limited resources by forcing us to defend this meritless suit, which we have not even been served.’’