Barnett’s rep releases official statement on steroids

Warren Piece of Newyorkfightscene.com has posted the first official statement from Josh Barnett’s representatives in regards to his positive test for steroids. Warren also makes a good note in his post, adding, ” What if banned substance allegations were not the reason for Josh’s inability to fight on August 1st? What if, instead, he had broken his leg in training? Would Affliction still have been so quick to fold the entire event and company ?”

Through his representatives, Josh Barnett has released the following statement:

The media has reported that Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett would not be eligible to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Trilogy as he was denied his California license due to an alleged positive test for 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, which is purportedly a metabolite of a banned substance. Mr. Barnett was shocked at these allegations and was extremely disappointed to learn that Affliction had made the hasty decision to cancel the August 1st event in its entirety. Mr. Barnett vehemently denies intentionally ingesting any banned substances in preparation for the August 1st fight and he is looking forward to presenting his case to the California State Athletic Commission.
In the meantime, Mr. Barnett has yet to learn of the results of the B sample testing and he has not received any of the documentation that provides further details of the alleged positive sample despite numerous requests. In fact, the documentation that Mr. Barnett has received raises serious questions about the integrity of the sample and the validity of the results themselves.
At this time Mr. Barnett would like to thank his fans and colleagues for their ongoing support and faith in him. He intends to vigorously defend himself against these allegations and hopes for a swift resolution to this matter so he can get back to what he does best, fighting!