Basketball player Kiefer Ravena ? who made his mark when he played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles ? was recently issued an 18-month ban from playing the game. The ban was due to the fact that he had failed a drug test administered by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) last February.
The ban means that Ravena, who plays for the NLEX Road Warriors and Gilas Pilipinas, is not going to play FIBA-sanctioned competitions until August 24, 2019.
Ravena had an explanation for why he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). He said it was due to a pre-workout drink he took. In this light, Ravena’s letter to the public is also being circulated.
Kiefer’s open letter to the public: #WeStandWithKiefer @kieferravena pic.twitter.com/yoUszTWwMs
? TEAM KIEFER (@_kieferravena15) May 29, 2018
An ABS-CBN News report by Camille B. Naredo explains: “It was an ‘honest mistake’ by Ravena, who did not indicate on his Doping Control Form that he drank a supplement ahead of their game. The player also expressed regret at not taking time to research about the drink (DUST), especially as it was his first time to use it after running out of his usual pre-workout aid.”
The report went on to reveal that “FIBA disclosed that Ravena’s urine sample from their game against Japan were positive for 4-methylhexan-2-amine (methylhexaneamine) and 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (DMBA), which are specified substances prohibited in-competition under S.6 of the 2018 WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.”
In the face of this controversy, Ravena’s supporters have come up with the #WeStandWithKiefer social media campaign. They expressed their support for the basketball phenom. Amid all this, Omar Glenn D. Belo wrote a thought-provoking piece on the matter titled, “Why #WeStandWithKiefer Sends the Wrong Message to Young Dads Like Me.” It’s published on the Smart Parenting website. It’s worth reading, too, if only to get a look at the controversy from another perspective.
