Astonishing. Only thing worse than a lying politician, an unelected one. And I’m not talking about Chael Sonnen. The manner in which the five commissioners of the California State Athletic Commission ruled on the future career of Sonnen at a hearing on Wednesday was staggering. It smacked of a witchhunt, especially given the U-turn 24 hours later.
In the United States, the Commissioners of the State Athletic Commission are politicians. But they are not elected into office. They are appointed. However, they are still state government officials.
Sonnen had already served eight months suspended after a post-fight screening test in Oakland last August revealed higher than normal T to E testosterone levels. The well-documented case of Sonnen’s plea that he had notified the CSAC that he needed treatment for Hypergonadism ensued. In the meantime, he had his Real Estate trader’s licence removed for being implicated in a white collar crime. He did not benefit personally. He got a $10,000 fine and had his licence removed for two years.
CSAC banned him for six months, then decided to look again at his ban after further evidence emerged which they say affected the ban, and in the last two weeks ruled that his licence would be removed indefinitely.
Did the punishment fit the crime ? Clearly not. It made no sense whatsoever.
An indefinite ban was not fitting on the 4-1 commissioners’ vote. Yes, Sonnen had done wrong. Yes, he needed to be suspended. A year looked about right. Serve the ban, go back to work. Do it again, banned for life.
Worth considering this. This was the same commission which banned the boxer Antonio Margarito for a year for the extremely, dangerous, illegal hand wraps. From this corner, far more serious than Sonnen’s transgressions. Margarito was back after a year.
What is upholding an indefinite ban ? Why did they come out with this ? And then reverse it with a U-turn a day later, revealing that Sonnen was then free to apply for a licence after June 29. It seems that he will be able to do that anywhere but California. And given that he has burnt his bridges with Keith Kizer, who claims he has been perjured by Sonnen, Nevada might be a bad place to apply.
What right did they have to sit in judgement on a man’s character, which is what they did on Wednesday. How on earth did they have the right to bring in the Real Estate federal case relating to this. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the evidence of the case they were considering. What did one have to do with the other ? Had the indefinite ban been upheld, surely Sonnen and his lawyers would have pleaded ‘Restraint of Trade’.
This was like watching four out of five Caesars in a Coliseum putting their thumbs down on the death of a career…a sorry state of affairs. When the news of the U-turn, or indeed confession of a mistake by CSAC was announced yesterday, there was an outpouring of goodwill towards the Oregonian. Sure, he’s not popular with everyone. But he deserves a second shot to fight in the mixed martial arts world.
Sonnen went through ritual humiliation, was as contrite as anyone has ever seen him, was pleading to go back to work, he was not asking for something he has not earned, and he worked all his life in MMA to get this role on TUF.
What the June 29 date does do, however, is arguably rule Sonnen out of being a coach in the next TUF series, a deadline for the role having been set by UFC president Dana White. Sonnen revealed in Wednesday’s hearing that he had been offered the role, opposite British mixed martial artist Michael Bisping.
The TUF series clearly needs an injection of life. This could have been it. It remains to be seen whether that deadline will be put back for the Bisping v Sonnen TUF series would go ahead. It would also most likely be an eliminator for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
You don’t have to like Chael Sonnen. He’s no angel. But the man clearly deserved some justice.
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