Golf Champion Vijay Singh Settles Deer Antler Spray Lawsuit | steroid.com

Vijay Singh PGA Tour harmed his reputation by accusing him of cheating with deer antler spray.

Vijay “The Big Fijian” Singh, a professional golfer with three major golf championships in his career, has settled his lawsuit with the PGA Tour over allegations that he cheated by using a “deer antler spray” supplement. Singh and the PGA Tour released a joint statement announcing the resolution of the 5-year old lawsuit on the eve of the scheduled trial.

The specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The PGA Tour agreed that Singh was “a true champion”  who never intended to “gain an unfair advantage over his fellow competitors”. Singh expressed his support of the PGA Tour’s Anti-Doping Program. Both parties agreed to put the matter behind them.

Vijay Singh was suspended for using IGF-1 when he really only used a bogus and inert supplement.

Singh originally filed the lawsuit in 2013. Singh accused the PGA Tour of unfair treatment, unfair harm to his reputation, and “public humiliation and ridicule” when it suspended him for 90-days for an alleged doping violation involving insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

The only problem is that Singh never used IGF-1. Singh had only used a questionable and ineffective product called SWATS Deer Antler Spray. The charlatans at SWATS advertise Deer Antler Spray as an effective source of IGF-1.

When Sports Illustrated learned that Singh was a user of Deer Antler Spray, it convinced him that he had committed an anti-doping violation. Singh subsequently admitted to violating the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Program.

According to the PGA Tour, an admission of an anti-doping violation is no different than testing positive for a prohibited substance. The PGA Tour insisted it was forced to suspend Singh following his admission.

Singh appealed his suspension after learning that he most likely never committed an anti-doping violation. 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) later issued guidance in the matter. WADA stated that it did not consider the use of Deer Antler Spray to be an anti-doping violation in and of itself. However, if it resulted in an adverse analytical positive result, the athlete could be subject to sanctions.

Two months into Singh’s ban, the PGA Tour withdrew its suspension following the WADA clarification on the matter. 

The PGA Tour most likely settled the case to avoid being forced to release the names and details of all previous athletes who have tested positive for steroids and/or prohibited performance-enhancing drugs. This would have been a likely outcome in a trial.

Source:

Ritter, J. (November 21, 2018). PGA Tour and Vijay Singh settle anti-doping lawsuit less than one week before trial. Retrieved from golf.com/tour-and-news/2018/11/21/pga-tour-settles-vijay-singh-lawsuit/

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