Nike suspends Gatlin's contract

2006-08-25 16:55

New York - Already banned from US Olympic Committee training sites, Justin Gatlin's coach isn't welcome at Nike headquarters, either.

The shoe company has terminated its contract with Trevor Graham and suspended its contract with Gatlin until further notice, Nike spokesperson Dean Stoyer said.

"He will not receive payment while the contract is suspended, and there is no specific date or speculation as to when we would re-up that," said Stoyer, who would not disclose details of the contracts.

Graham, former coach of Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, has had several athletes test positive for banned substances. He always denied any direct involvement in performance-enhancing drugs.

Gatlin, the co-world record holder in the 100m, tested positive for testosterone and other steroids at the Kansas Relays on April 22. On Tuesday, he reached an agreement with the US Anti-Doping Agency not to contest the positive results.

In response, USADA issued a ban for a maximum of eight years. Gatlin can reduce the ban substantially by co-operating with investigators.

"We're shooting for something way less than two years," Gatlin's attorney, Cameron Myler, said this week. "The goal is to have him back on the track as soon as possible."

Graham operates Raleigh-based Sprint Capitol USA, a team of about 10 athletes that includes Gatlin. He helped launch the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative three years ago by anonymously mailing a syringe containing "the clear," a previously undetectable steroid to USADA. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Graham acknowledged mailing the drug.

- AP