Former Team Sky Chief Doctor Richard Freeman has been found guilty of ordering testosterone to an unnamed cyclist.
The announcement was made today by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester after a two year tribunal in which the case against Freeman was made.
After the case began in February 2019, Freeman would go on to admit to 18 of the 22 charges laid against him, purchasing banned testosterone & lying to the UK Anti-Doping Agency among these charges.
When giving evidence for the first time in October 2020, Freeman admitted to destroying a laptop which could have contained medical data related to the investigation for, due to his fear that information could be hacked and released.
He also admitted to the tribunal he had secretly taken the package of testosterone home on the night it was delivered to the National Cycling Centre and washed it down the sink.
The four charges he had denied involved around the supplying of that testosterone, the MPTS decided he did in during the investigation.
During the case, Freeman had alleged he was bullied into purchasing the testosterone for former British Cycling and Team Sky coach Shane Sutton, an allegation Sutton denied.
This was disputed by the MPTS, who in their official findings stated that “There are no medical notes to suggest that, in 2011, he had any need for Testogel, or testosterone generally.”
Sutton had previously stormed out of the hearing in November 2019, with the findings calling his behaviour “intemperate” while still viewing his testimony as truthful.
“The tribunal found that there was no properly formed evidential basis to call into question Mr Sutton’s account, nor to challenge its probity.”
This marks the latest in a series of scandals which risk destroying the legacy of Team Sky throughout their dominant spell in the cycling world, with the team winning six Tour de France titles in the past with the likes of Bradley Wiggins, four time winner Chris Froome & Geraint Thomas receiving the coveted yellow jersey.
