BEVERLY HILLS, March 20, (THEWILL) – On Friday, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that Richard Freeman, the former chief doctor for British Cycling, be struck off the medical register permanently.
The sanction follows a Thursday decision that deemed Freeman, who was also the former chief doctor for Team Sky, unfit to practise due to misconduct that involved “serious dishonesty, as well as behaviour which could have placed patients at unwarranted risk of harm.”
In Friday’s ruling, the Tribunal said Freeman’s behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.
Part of their statement read: “The tribunal has therefore determined that erasure is the only sufficient sanction which would protect patients, maintain public confidence in the profession and send a clear message to Freeman, the profession and the public that his misconduct constituted behaviour unbefitting and incompatible with that of a registered doctor.”
The MPTS, which adjudicates on complaints made against any of the doctors in the United Kingdom, and makes independent decisions about a doctor’s fitness to practise, said it will consider whether to impose an immediate order to cover the period of appeal.
The British Cycling and Team Sky doctor was charged with ordering 30 sachets of Testogel to the national velodrome in Manchester for an unnamed athlete in 2011. He admitted to destroying a laptop before passing it on to forensic experts conducting a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) probe, as reported by THEWILL last week.
Apart from tampering with evidence, he also previously admitted to 18 of the 22 charges against him, including purchasing banned testosterone, lying to UKAD and keeping haphazard records to obscure his crime.
Ineos Grenadiers, which was formerly known as Team Sky, in an official statement, condemned the actions of Freeman, saying he had “fallen short of ethical standards”. However, they continued to insist that none of their riders had sought to use any banned substance: “The team does not believe that any athlete used or sought to use Testogel or any other performance enhancing substance.”
“No evidence has been provided that this ever happened or that there has been any wrongdoing by any athlete at any point. We will continue to give our full support and cooperation to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), as we have done throughout this process, as they continue to investigate his conduct,” they emphasised.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
