Dr Richard Freeman is now facing serious allegations, namely ordering banned testosterone for an athlete to improve performance. Above, Freeman with Bradley Wiggins, just one of a very large number of riders the doctor would have worked with.
Team Sky’s and British Cycling’s former doctor Richard Freeman stands accused of ordering testosterone patches to enhance an athlete’s performance.
A medical tribunal is set to test the explanation for the patches put forward to date; that they were delivered to the Manchester cycling centre in error and returned to the supplier.
Dr Freeman has effectively been charged with the allegation following a General Medical Council investigation in Britain.
And he will face an independent medical practitioners tribunal in Manchester scheduled to take place between February 6th and March 5th.
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The allegations date back to 2011 when a delivery of 30 sachets of Testogel was made to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester.
The General Medical Council has alleged he ordered the patches from the supplier in May 2011 with a view to improving an athlete’s performance.
There is no indication who that athlete is. It is not even clear if a specific athlete has even been identified as the alleged would-be recipient of the patches in the event the wider allegations were proven.
During the course of his work, Dr Freeman would have come into contact with a very large number of cyclists.
Dr Freeman is accused of making “untrue statements” when he denied the order for the patches was made and claimed it had arrived in error.
He is also accused of asking the supplier for written confirmation that the order was an error and had been returned, it is alleged, knowing this had not happened.
He is also accused of showing an email to colleagues, furthering his explanation for the delivery, knowing it was “untrue”.
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Furthermore, he is also accused of being untruthful in stating the patches had been for a non-athlete member of staff.
It is further alleged his communications to the supplier were designed to conceal his true motives; administering the testosterone to an athlete to improve performance.
Nothing proven against Dr Richard Freeman at present
It should be stressed that the allegations are just that; allegations. They have not been proven and the process in which they will be tested has not even commenced.
Dr Freeman has previously repeatedly insisted he has done nothing wrong during the course of his work.
The upcoming tribunal is also set to examine the theft of a laptop in 2014 from Dr Freeman. It was said to contain records about the jiffy bag delivered to Team Sky at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2011.
That delivery has already been examined by the UK Anti Doping Agency and a British parliamentary inquiry. Both found no doping offence had been disclosed.
Dr Freeman explained to colleagues at the time of the testosterone delivery that the patches had never been ordered and had been delivered in error.
The 2011 delivery was brought to the attention of medical staff, including British Cycling’s head of medicine Dr Steve Peters.
He told the UK Anti Doping investigation into practices at Team Sky and the national governing body that he was satisfied the matter was a genuine error.
Peters added Freeman contacted the supplier to point it out to them and he returned the package.
He further said Richard Freeman was issued with a confirmation letter from the supplier that the delivery was a mistake.
Peters said because he believed the matter was a genuine error, he did not bring it any further. Furthermore, he said he did not tell Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford what had happened.
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