Canadian Football Player Caught w/AAS

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Canadian Football Player Caught w/AAS

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the recent seizure of anabolic steroids at the International Bridge border crossing and the arrest of a professional Canadian Football League linebacker.

On May 31, CBP officers encountered Jordan Kyle Matechuk, a 25-year-old Canadian citizen and linebacker for the Canadian Football League Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Matechuk presented a Canadian driver?s license as proof of identification and advised the CBP officer that he was in-transit to Hamilton, Ontario from Alberta, Canada. Matechuk was selected for a secondary enforcement exam.

While conducting the secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered a pill bottle containing a small amount of a green leafy substance. Continuing their search, officers discovered a small box containing pills and a shaving kit containing vials of liquid steroids. During a pat-down exam, a small amount of marijuana and another two vials of liquid steroids were discovered. The green leafy substance field tested positive as marijuana while the pills and vials of liquid tested positive as steroids.

?Anabolic steroids are a Schedule III controlled substance,? said Devin Chamberlain, Port Director at the Sault Ste Marie port of entry. ?It is illegal to be in possession of such without a prescription.?

CBP officers seized a total of 543 anabolic steroid pills, 262 milliliters of anabolic steroids in liquid form, 1.25 grams of marijuana, 19 syringes, and 51 replacement needles. Matechuk was arrested and turned over to the Sault Ste Marie Police Department.

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REGINA — The former members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats now with the Saskatchewan Roughriders were shocked and disappointed to hear about Jordan Matechuk’s recent legal woes.

Matechuk, a Yorkton, Sask., product and who was Hamilton’s long-snapper, is facing two felony charges in the United States for drug possession, including steroids. Matechuk, 25, was released by the Tiger-Cats on Wednesday.

Riders head coach Greg Marshall and offensive linemen Alex Gauthier and George Hudson have recent ties to the Tiger-Cats. Marshall was Hamilton’s defensive co-ordinator for two seasons before being hired in January as the Riders’ head coach.

“All of my dealings with Jordan were good,’’ Marshall said Thursday after Day 5 of the CFL team’s main training camp at Mosaic Stadium. “You feel sorry for him because it’s already cost him his job and whatever ramifications that come with it. He’s going to have to pay those consequences. He’s basically a good kid who made a mistake.’’

Matechuk spent three seasons with the Tiger-Cats after signing as a free agent in 2008. Hudson, who had been with the Tiger-Cats since 2006, joined the Riders as a free agent during the off-season.

“I just wish guys were smarter and not think they can get away with stuff like that,’’ said Hudson, a 10-year CFL veteran. “I understand the pressures of football and trying to be bigger, stronger and faster. You can’t do things like that. Now he has a lot of problems that are going to be compounded.’’

Matechuk was stopped May 31 at the border crossing between Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., while on his way from Winnipeg to training camp in Hamilton. During an inspection, American custom officials allegedly found 543 anabolic steroid pills, 262 millilitres of anabolic steroids in liquid form, 1.25 grams of marijuana, 19 syringes and 51 replacement needles. Some OxyContin, a narcotic pain reliever, was also seized.

Matechuk faces felony charges for possession of OxyContin and possession of steroids and a misdemeanour charge for marijuana possession. Matechuk could face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Hudson said he didn’t know if Matechuk (five-foot-10 and 234 pounds) used steroids while they were with the Tiger-Cats.

“He was pretty large,’’ Hudson said. “You never know because a lot of guys are big as hell and never work out. Then some look out of shape and they work out like crazy. You never want to assume that someone is doing something because that would be crappy. It’s just disappointing.’’

Matechuk’s legal problems occur in the same year that the CFL has instituted random drug testing under the collective bargaining agreement. Twenty-five per cent of the players will undergo drug tests in the first year.

“You never want to have a bad example in any sport,’’ said Gauthier, who spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Tiger-Cats before signing as a free agent with the Riders in February. “We have to be leaders and the younger guys are looking for us to be an example. You never want to be accused of that because it’s not a good example for the team or the league.’’

Under the league’s drug policy, a first-time offender will not be suspended and his identity won’t be revealed to the media. He will be subject to further testing and offered counselling. Hudson said counselling was one of the key items during negotiations between the league and the CFL Players’ Association.

“We weren’t going to pass any drug testing if there wasn’t rehabilitation,’’ Hudson said. “You can’t tell a guy to quit cold turkey after he has been relying on that for years. There are a lot of mental issues involved too.’’

A CFL representative told the Hamilton Spectator on Thursday that there weren’t any plans to investigate the team or the player.

“This isn’t related (to drug testing),’’ Marshall said. “He didn’t get caught doing something the league instituted. This happened outside the scope of that.’’