Richard Freeman, the former doctor with Team Sky and British Cycling, has made claims that he assumed Shane Sutton was the source of a Daily Mail story that suggested a “jiffy bag” with a medical product was delivered to Team Sky in France in 2011.
When that claim was put to Team Sky by the Daily Mail the
team referred it on to British Cycling and an investigation by UK Anti Doping
was commenced.
While that inquiry made no findings of wrongdoing against any rider or anyone in Team Sky or British Cycling, Team Sky was unable to prove what was in the bag.
Team boss Dave Brailsford said the bag contained an over
the counter decongestant but the team was unable to furnish records to prove
that.
The claim and the lack of records - as well as the investigations
they prompted - were very damaging to the team and British Cycling and resulted
not only in the anti doping investigation but also a parliamentary inquiry in
Britain.
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That parliamentary inquiry concluded Team Sky used TUEs for performance gain. This was strongly denied by Bradley Wiggins and the team.
Neither Wiggins nor anyone in Team Sky was ever found to have breached any rules as the medicines Wiggins received under TUE were sanctioned through the proper channels, including being approved by the UCI.
Dr Freeman is currently facing a General Medical Council hearing in Britain, about his fitness to practice. The main allegation he faces is that he ordered testosterone to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester in 2011 knowing it was for athletes for performance enhancement purposes.
He strongly denies this and said he was bullied and threatened by former Team Sky and British Cycling coach Shane Sutton and that he ordered the testosterone to treat Sutton’s erectile dysfunction; all of which is denied by Sutton.
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Freeman has said he was in fear of Sutton, though the
Australian has rubbished the claims and said Freeman was now trying to use him
as a scapegoat for the trouble he has found himself in.
In witness statements now released by his legal team, Freeman claims when Sutton departed from his position in British cycling in 2016 he told Freeman that he had spoken to a journalist and a story was going to be published that would “finish” him (Freeman) and that also related to Brailsford and Wiggins.
Freeman adds when the Daily Mail story emerged about the “jiffy
bag” he then “assumed” Sutton was the source. However, Sutton has said every
time Freeman is questioned his story changes.
Last week at the fitness to practice hearing Freeman
admitted he previously lied several times about ordering the testosterone. He
also, for the first time, said he had destroyed the testosterone after bringing
it home on the night it was delivered.
However, his legal team has now shared his witness
statements, which make further claims about Sutton, who says all of Freeman’s narrative
is untrue and cannot be trusted.
“In September 2016 I received several phone calls from him, in an agitated state, blaming me for his downfall,” Freeman says in the witness statements published in The Guardian.
“In the last call he told me he had spoken to a
journalist who was going to run a story regarding an illegal injection in the
bus at Sestriere in 2011, and that we were all finished.
“He said this related to myself, Sir Dave Brailsford and
Sir Bradley Wiggins. I was devastated. I blocked his phone number.”
The witness statement continues: “Shortly after he called
me from his partner’s phone. I answered it as she had previously asked for
medical advice.
“It was Shane Sutton ranting and threatening, I put the
phone down and blocked that number. When the Daily Mail story broke in Oct 2016
regarding the race in Sestriere in 2011, it came as no surprise that the
allegation was made about me and I assumed that Shane Sutton was the source.”
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