Samir Nasri facing possible four-year doping ban amid bizarre Drip Doctors scandal
Last month, Sevilla forward Samir Nasri got himself into a bit of trouble during a visit to Los Angeles.
Here's what happened: Nasri made an appointment with Drip Doctors, a "therapy & lifestyle medspa" in L.A. Drip Doctors posted a photo of Nasri with its founder and CEO, Jamila Sozahdah, on its Twitter, proclaiming it had "provided [Nasri] a concierge Immunity IV Drip to keep him hydrated & in top health during his busy soccer season."
Then things got weird. Nasri's own Twitter account said Sozahdah had given him sexual favors during the exchange. Nasri's tweets, which accused Nasri of cheating on his girlfriend, were quickly deleted. (Deadspin has screenshots.) Nasri said after the incident that he had been hacked, but did not provide any other details—though a number of observers suspected Nasri's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Anara Atanes, of writing the tweets. Drip Doctors called the messages sent from Nasri's account "libelous accusations."
It turns out that Nasri might be in trouble for more than just infidelity. Late last month, The Independent reported that Nasri was under investigation for possible anti-doping violations stemming from his IV treatment with Drip Doctors. On Thursday, The Daily Mail quoted a WADA spokesman who said a violation of the organization's Article 2.2 ("use or attempted use by an athlete of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method") could result in a penalty lasting up to four years.
"A violation of Article 2.2 of the code could result in a sanction of up to four years," WADA spokesman Ben Nichols told The Daily Mail. "However, this will depend upon factors such as whether or not the use was intentional and if unintentional, the sanction could be subject to further reductions on the basis of no significant fault or negligence."
Certain IV infusions are not permitted by WADA because they allow patients to potentially hide banned substances, according to The Independent.
Nasri, who is on loan from Manchester City, can still play for Sevilla as the investigation unfolds.
