Sponsors Cut Ties After Maria Sharapova Drops Drug-Test Bombshell

From Ragan’s PR Daily:  When tennis star Maria Sharapova hastily called a press conference, many reporters expected the athlete would be announcing her retirement.

Instead, Sharapova dropped a startling admission: She had failed a recent drug test for the Australian Open.

Sharapova’s drug test results came back positive for meldonium, a drug used to treat heart problems. Though the substance is widely available in Europe, it was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list on Jan. 1.

The tennis player confirmed that she has been taking the drug for 10 years, as prescribed by her doctor. Sharapova also said she received an email on Dec. 22, 2015, informing her of changes to WADA’s list but that she had not examined it.

‘I made a huge mistake’

“I take great responsibility and professionalism in my job, and I made a huge mistake,” Sharapova said during her press conference. “I let my fans down. I let the sport down that I’ve been playing since the age of 4, that I love so deeply.”

The Tennis Anti-Doping Program said in a statement that Sharapova will be provisionally suspended starting March 12, pending the decision on her case.

“I know that with this, I face consequences,” she said. “I don’t want to end my career this way, and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game.”

Sharapova said she did not know that meldonium had been added to the organization’s banned substance list, but when a reporter asked whether the doctor who prescribed the drug should be blamed, the athlete said: “I have to take full responsibility for it … It’s very important to have a great team around you … but at the end of day, everything you do is about you.”

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ADDITION:  Yes, Sharapova told it first.  But did she really tell the truth and tell it all?  Michael Steinberger from Vanity Fair says no.  Check it out here.

Photo Credit:  MariaSharapova.com