USADA: “Rules Set Out In 10.6.1.1 Are Crystal Clear, If They Are Not Met, An Individual Would Not Be Considered For A Reduction Based On Substantial Assistance”
You can say that Jon Jones is one of the luckiest men in the world. He slipped out with an only 15-month ban. And he is a repeated offender!
Jon Jones’ manager Malki Kawa opened up on Monday. He talked about the possible rumors that Bones snitched other fighters to get suspension reduction. Malki Kawa claims Bones gave information about himself and nobody else. According to Kawa, Bones is everything but a snitch. (via MMAJunkie.com)
“I can just tell you without a shadow of a doubt that Jon did not tell on any teammate,” Kawa, of First Round Management, said on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.” “Jon did not tell on anyone in MMA. Jon did not do anything that these people are saying he did. So all that, ‘He’s a snitch’ and all that stuff, we can put it to bed. He did not do that.
“There’s other things that took place in here. There’s other things that Jon did with himself. There’s things that USADA – and the arbitrator and everyone involved – got from Jon about Jon that they had never had before.”
USADA replied to possible snitching rumors too. In the public record of arbitrator’s decision, it was clearly stated that Jon Jones provided “substantial assistance to USADA”. The same thing was mentioned in USADA’s announcement of Bones’ suspension. Jon Jones received 30-month penalty reduction even before his trial started. He cooperated. USADA spokesperson Daniel Eurich said the rule 10.6.1.1. saved Bones’ from a more serious penalty. He said Jon Jones was also “rewarded” for his behavior.
“Importantly, if the athlete or support personnel fails to continue to cooperate and provide credible substantial assistance, USADA will reinstate the original sanction,” Eurich said. “These rules set out in 10.6.1.1 are crystal clear, and if they are not met, an individual would not be considered for a reduction based on substantial assistance.”
According to the “substantial assistance” rule, USADA reserves rights to “suspend all or part” of a potential suspension. But it can happen only when someone “provides info that result in a criminal or disciplinary body discovering or bringing forward a criminal offense or the breach of professional rules committed by another person”. The reduction time, according to this rule, is dependent on “the seriousness of the anti-doping policy violation committed by the athlete or other person”. The second criterion is “the significance of the substantial assistance issued by the athlete or another person to help eliminate doping in sports”.
Now let’s remember the deal Jon Jones signed with USADA five days before the arbitration. It obligated Bones to cooperate if he wants to keep the reduction permanent. Yet, the time frame wasn’t specified. Eurich didn’t provide more details on “Jon Jones cooperation”. He has only stated it would be related to the “ongoing matters”.
Malki Kawa states he doesn’t know anything about the limits of Jon Jones’ cooperation need. He described Bones’ routine after the training claiming he doesn’t even take a shower in the gym. Kawa also laughed hard to the social media message that Bones’ teammates could be in trouble. After all, it might indirectly mean that Bones might turn into a snitch.
“It’s not like Jon sits in a room somewhere and watches people do steroids, and then he’s like, ‘Hey man, guess what, my teammate over here is doing steroids,’” Kawa said. “Jon goes and trains, gets his stuff, and he goes home. He doesn’t take a shower there. He doesn’t really hang out there. He comes in, does his thing, and he leaves. So he doesn’t sit there and hang out like that, or would know about anyone that does that. He doesn’t do that. So when people say these things, to me, it’s a funny thing.
“I’m assuming if Jon’s name comes up in something, and he was to know something, he would have to be cooperative with them. But I don’t know of a deal where it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re going to continue to’ – I don’t know about that. That’s not how it went down. I don’t want to assume anything or have this turn into a disaster all of a sudden. But from what I understand, a lot of the stuff they were talking about had to do with him – not other people.”
Kawa also added USADA protocol has been established. But its goal is to prevent the future policy violation.
“He knows not to take anything without letting us know about it first,” Kawa said. “We obviously send it to (UFC VP of Athlete Relations Jeff) Novitzky and the people that control the USADA program at the UFC and have them review so it’s a second set of eyes. Get in writing that it’s a low-risk supplement, because there’s still a level of risk by taking supplements, and just go from there.”
Kawa was also asked about Jon Jones’ potential return opponents. He said he would be satisfied with Daniel Cormier or Alexander Gustafsson.
Jon Jones has already defeated Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on January 3, 2015. Bones also won at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017. Yet, his victory was overturned to no contest due to positive tests on Turinabol. Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones fought at UFC 165 on September 21, 2013. Jones won via unanimous decision but it was probably the toughest match of his career. The Mauler recently called Bones on social media.
What do you think, is there a chance Jon Jones will turn into a snitch? Do you believe these rumors? Who would you like to see inside the Octagon as Bones’ opponent next?
