Page 60 - MIN TTC 8 OCT 2015
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SPORTS A21
Thursday 8 October 2015
James Blake: Police watchdog
substantiates force complaint
NEW YORK (AP) — Two po- the world before retiring efforts of the CCRB to ad- In this Sept. 11, 2015, file photo, former tennis pro James Blake,
lice officers involved in the from the ATP Tour after the vance this investigation.” right, acknowledges applause during a semifinal match be-
mistaken arrest of James 2013 U.S. Open, had been A departmental trial could tween Roger Federer, of Switzerland, and Stan Wawrinka, of
Blake, including one who mistakenly identified as end in disciplinary action or Switzerland, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, in New York.
allegedly tackled the for- being part of a cellphone termination.
mer professional tennis fraud scheme. Frascatore Malik said Blake’s com- Associated Press
player, will face an admin- had mistaken Blake for a plaint had been resolved
istrative trial after the city’s suspect who looked like in less than 30 days, but
police watchdog substan- him, police said. she declined to provide
tiated Blake’s excessive Mayor Bill de Blasio and Po- further information about
force complaint. lice Commissioner William the probe, citing state pri-
Mina Malik, the executive Bratton have both apolo- vacy laws. “Our commit-
director of the New York gized to Blake, who has ment remains to be a fair
City’s Civilian Complaint said he believes Frascatore and vigilant resource for
Review Board, said in a let- should be fired. all people who have com-
ter sent to Blake on Tues- The officer, who has been plaints about police mis-
day that investigators had with the New York Police conduct, and to judge the
substantiated complaints Department for about four cases based on thorough,
he made after his Sept. 9 years, had been named in even-handed investiga-
arrest alleging that Officer several civil rights lawsuits tions which serve the public
James Frascatore used ex- alleging excessive force. and officers alike,” she said.
cessive force and Detec- He was placed on desk A spokesman for the city’s
tive Daniel Herzog abused duty after the encounter police union had no imme-
his authority. with Blake. diate comment Wednes-
Surveillance video showed “It is my understanding that day evening. But Patrol-
Frascatore approaching these officers now face an men’s Benevolent Associa-
Blake in front of the Grand administrative trial for their tion President Patrick Lynch
Hyatt New York Hotel in roles in the respective of- has said the officers were
Manhattan and grabbing fenses,” Blake said in a apprehending someone
his arm and roughly tak- statement Wednesday. “I they “had every reason to
ing him to the ground. Po- have complete respect for believe was an individual
lice said Blake, who had the principle of due pro- who had just committed a
ranked as high as No. 4 in cess and appreciate the crime.”q
WADA keeps thyroid medication
off banned-substances list
EDDIE PELLS ence director at WADA, letes to get prescriptions
AP National Writer said Wednesday that for thyroid medication
MONTREAL (AP) — Lead- because the medicine before they started train-
ers at the World Anti- stops the body from pro- ing with him at the Nike
Doping Agency say ducing its own hormones Oregon Project.
there’s no scientific rea- once they reach a cer- Among those using the
son to ban thyroid medi- tain level, there’s no sci- medicine was Galen
cation, despite reports entific reason to believe it Rupp, the 2012 Olympic
that some high-profile enhances performance. silver medalist at 10,000
long-distance runners He called athletes using meters. In an open letter
use the medicine during thyroid medicine an ex- defending his program,
training. ample of the “medical- Salazar said Rupp is one
After reports that a num- ization of sports.” of five athletes — out of
ber of athletes coached “That’s a reality,” Rabin 55 he has coached —
by former Boston and said. “But our job is to who have been diag-
New York City Marathon draw a line between nosed with thyroid dis-
winner Alberto Salazar what is doping and what ease.
take the medication, is not doping.” More than 12 percent of
which can be used as The U.S. Anti-Doping the U.S. population will
a stimulant and to con- Agency is investigating develop a thyroid condi-
trol weight, the British Salazar, who has been tion during their lifetime,
anti-doping agency and accused of skirting anti- according to the Ameri-
others asked WADA to doping rules while train- can Thyroid Association
consider putting it on its ing some of his athletes. website. It said women
banned-substance list. Among the allegations are between five and
But when the list came leveled against Salazar eight times more likely
out last week, that medi- in a story this summer by to develop a condition
cine wasn’t on it. ProPublica and the BBC than men.q
Olivier Rabin, the sci- was that he told his ath-
