In our never ending effort to remain positive in our efforts to provide information regarding the world of sports, we take great pleasure in the news that All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu has been not only completely cleared, but also totally exonerated of wrongdoing of any kind after his B-sample returned a negative result for a banned substance following last year’s match with Ireland in Chicago.
Those pesky A-samples are responsible for more than one wrongly accused athlete, so it is nice, for a change, to be able to write that it was all a big mistake.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had the distinct pleasure of announcing the news, and it might give him a little boost in momentum for the coach of the year honours that will be announced at the Halberg Awards.
Location, location, location, they say in the real estate and restaurant business. Timing, timing, timing would seem to be the word when it comes to sports.
Halberg expressed consternation over how it was even remotely possible that Tuipulotu would test positive for any prohibited substances, as the All Blacks and the players themselves are very scrupulous about what goes into their bodies.
In all probability, it was a ham-handed effort on the large population of Chicagoans of Irish descent that was attempting to nob Tuipuloto with an overdose of laxative such as that used to cause Big Philou to be scratched less than an hour before the 1969 Melbourne Cup.