Diaz NSAC Hearing Over, Suspended For 12 Months

Quote :

Today the Nevada State Athletic Commission heard the case of Nick Diaz.

In February Nick fought and lost against Carlos Condit for the UFC’s interim welterweight title. In the post-fight drug screening Diaz was found to have marijuana metabolites in his system and as a result has been put under fire as a rule violator.

After a lengthy stint of legal back and forth the two sides met today in Nevada to determine the fate of Mr. Diaz.

A brilliant defense was presented to the commission. One that brought expert testimony that refuted the interpretation of the rules and had it been a court of law, I have no doubt that based on the testimony Diaz would have been found innocent.

The real issue is whether or not Nick was using a banned substance in competition. The state of Nevada could not prove that Nick was using during his fight, but the defense could not prove against it either.

It was a lengthy hearing, the two sides argued the rulebook and facts of the case back and forth. However the NSAC is their own judge and jury and as a result are not liable to answer to anyone other than their own interpretation of the rules.

In the end Nick Diaz will not be able to compete in the State of Nevada until February 2013. He received a 12-month suspension and was fined 30% of his fight purse and bonus money.

BJPenn.com

I guarantee you, if he fights again he will learn NOTHING from this. He will piss hot again, not apply for a conditional licence, and somehow it will be someone else's fault...

Boooo......

Really?.... man 12 mos for pot? .... Really?

Well this certainly sets a new standard. So all the PED abusers out there (Overeem) should be expecting a 2 year ban or more?

He's getting a year because it's his second time testing positive for the exact same banned substance. He obviously doesn't give enough of a shit to follow the rules so why wouldn't they increase his penalty?

That's a little harsh.
He uses out of competition. This time, he used too close to fight time and had it in his system. To say he doesn't give a shit implies that he doesn't even make an attempt to be clean or that he doesn't care that he got caught. That's not the case, IMO.

Maybe a little harsh...let's agree on irresponsible then. I like Diaz, I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he tested positive against Gomi. But him doing it again? What is wrong with that dude? I understand it's medicinal and I have no issue with that, but after he got busted for it once why wouldn't he apply for an exemption? Sonnen just got approved for TRT use, why wouldn't they have approved Nick? Either he is stupid or irresponsible, and Nick Diaz is not a stupid person.

He's definitely irresponsible. There's no doubt about that.

But I honestly think at this point, with all the battling with the commission and how ugly it got, that he has absolutely 0 chance of being granted an exemption. Diaz is officially an enemy of the NSAC, and they wouldn't ever even entertain the idea of giving him leniency for anything from here on out. They would go through all the proper procedures to make it look good in the public eye, but behind closed doors they would be sybolically wiping their asses with his request, IMO.

Ahh Well... If he ever does fight again..hopefully he doesn't light up anywhere near training camp time just to be on the safe side.

Triggerman99 wrote:

He's definitely irresponsible. There's no doubt about that.

But I honestly think at this point, with all the battling with the commission and how ugly it got, that he has absolutely 0 chance of being granted an exemption. Diaz is officially an enemy of the NSAC, and they wouldn't ever even entertain the idea of giving him leniency for anything from here on out. They would go through all the proper procedures to make it look good in the public eye, but behind closed doors they would be sybolically wiping their asses with his request, IMO.

I agree that he's probably near the top of their Top 10 Most Wanted List, but then again they were pretty pissed at Sonnen last time too.

Either way, a year from now I hope we hear about GSP/Diaz finally happening...

It is kind of bullshit though that the commission gets to regulate itself.

It's like they are their own fucking indian reservation or something.

I listened to that hearing and although Nick sounded dopey there is no doubt in my mind this would of been over turned in a real court. The commission pretty much said "ok we have listened to everything you have to say and whatevs, we are still right."

Truth be told though.... If they had of tested Nick when he was testifying Im sure his blood levels would have been ..... rather high?

It was a lengthy hearing, the two sides argued the rulebook and facts of the case back and forth. However the NSAC is their own judge and jury and as a result are not liable to answer to anyone other than their own interpretation of the rules.

While I don't feel particuarly bad for Diaz the whole self regulating commision thing has always weirded me out I know the film industry does the same thing and it's real political I've heard lots of horror stories about them. I'm guessing the NSAC could be like that.

Yeah it sucks that the commossion decides for themsleves if they are right (which they apparently always are) without any neutral arbitration.
But I think I saw somewhere that Diaz is gonna bring this to actual court, so he may be able to exact a little revenge if he and his lawyer present an effective case before a judge like they have done so far.
I'm just beginning to wonder if it's worth the effort at this point....

Well if he wins in civil court he could probably win damages in the amount of the 30% he was penalized, plus an amount roughly equal to what he would make in a year's worth of fights. It'd be amusing to see...

Triggerman99 wrote:

Yeah it sucks that the commossion decides for themsleves if they are right (which they apparently always are) without any neutral arbitration.
But I think I saw somewhere that Diaz is gonna bring this to actual court, so he may be able to exact a little revenge if he and his lawyer present an effective case before a judge like they have done so far.
I'm just beginning to wonder if it's worth the effort at this point....

someone had to be the first to fight the system during prohibition time! its going to take high profile cases like this or woody harelson back in the day for the mainstream to get a clear picture

Cesar Gracie's latest tweet "@ufc Get drunk and wreck cars or do steroids between fights is OK. Smoke weed legally between fights and NSAC throws the book at you"

It's funny cuz it's true...lol

Fighting in the Nevada is like playing monopoly with a 6yr old. The make the rules up as they go along.

I mostly expect to never see Nick Diaz fight again. I think this sends him over the top with the brooding that he has already demonstrated. It is very likely that he will just hang them up now out of principal.

FistK wrote:

Cesar Gracie's latest tweet "@ufc Get drunk and wreck cars or do steroids between fights is OK. Smoke weed legally between fights and NSAC throws the book at you"

It's funny cuz it's true...lol

Fighting in the Nevada is like playing monopoly with a 6yr old. The make the rules up as they go along.

Yeah i have to side with cesar on this one. What was rampages punishment for a hit and run and all that junk he pulled.I know he wasnt out for 12 months. plus it's not a enhancement. If it was roids than sure if he is a constant offender but this is just weak.

FistK wrote:

Cesar Gracie's latest tweet "@ufc Get drunk and wreck cars or do steroids between fights is OK. Smoke weed legally between fights and NSAC throws the book at you"

It's funny cuz it's true...lol

Fighting in the Nevada is like playing monopoly with a 6yr old. The make the rules up as they go along.

Love it!!


Though I gotta say, that'a little off base.
The NSAC made the decision on Diaz, while the UFC handled the Johhny Bones Derby thing. I'm sure if Dana and the UFC had they're say in the Diaz case, he would currently be scheduled for a fight some time this summer.

But it just brings to light how whacked-out the situation is, with different parties levying different punishments based on different standards to people who work for the same company.