Diana Taurasi Tests Positive For Banned Substance
TALENT
WNBA star Diana Taurasi tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in a pro league in Turkey, her lawyer told The Associated Press on Thursday night. Howard Jacobs said Taurasi’s “A” sample came back positive from a Turkish lab last week and she was provisionally suspended by the Turkish league she’s playing in. She has already missed three games with her team, Fenerbahce. Jacobs said the substance “was not a steroid or recreational drug,” and that Taurasi has asked that her “B” sample be tested.
“We’re taking it one step at a time,” Jacobs said. “I’d rather not say what it is at this stage, they’ve only tested the ‘A’ sample. Somehow it leaked over in Turkey. We’re waiting for the ‘B’ sample to be tested. We’ve had some difficulty with getting a date so far, mostly because of the holidays. We’re hoping to get it as soon as we can.”
He said he said he didn’t know what the length of the suspension would be, nor was he familiar with the details of the Turkish league’s anti-doping code. He also said said it was too early to know how this might affect Taurasi’s eligibility for the London 2012 Games.
Taurasi served one day in jail and was suspended by the team for two games in 2009 after pleading guilty to a DUI charge.
