News: Attorney Comes out Swinging on Behalf of Athletes in Drug-Testing Cases

Chicago, November 19, 2007 – The use and testing of performance-enhancing drugs is a hot issue in sports, particularly for athletes. On November 6, attorney Steven J. Thompson publicly made the case that athletes deserve to be treated more fairly in drug-testing cases.

Mr. Thompson, a Partner at Ungaretti & Harris who has represented clients ranging from Olympic athletes to professional martial artists, recently discussed his position as a panelist at "Legal and Ethical Issues of Testing for Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport," a Chicago Bar Association Sports Law Committee program. The panel also featured U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) General Counsel William Bock III, three-time Tour de France Winner and Cycling Champion Greg LeMond, and moderator Lester Munson, Esq., of ESPN.

As an athlete’s lawyer, Mr. Thompson offered his perspective on defending his clients against drug policy enforcement matters pending before USADA. He also spoke of problems within the current system, such as the lack of financial and legal support for athletes who contest drug findings, and sanctioning athletes without analytical proof.

"Remembering my criminal law course from law school, it just seems like you ought to be able to catch that person before you convict them,” said Mr. Thompson. “An e-mail where someone mentions doping should not be enough to prove doping."

He sees the “biological passport,” a program recently adopted by the sport of cycling, that will provide a record of biological indicators that can be used as a reference for each cyclist, as a positive step for athletes.

"In terms of fairness,” he said, “it is better than a non-analytical finding and it should help by getting out in front of regulators and documenting a medical condition - prior to the time when it sounds like just an excuse."

In addition to drug testing cases, Mr. Thompson also serves as principal trial counsel representing athletes in Olympic selection disputes against national governing bodies at the invitation of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). He is one of only 20 lawyers in the country on the USOC’s list for athletes needing legal assistance.

He held such a role for Matt Lindland, a Greco-Roman wrestler who was left off the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2000 Games in Sydney. Mr. Thompson successfully secured a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team for Mr. Lindland after successful arbitrations, multiple federal court appeals, litigation in the international Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a petition for stay pending certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mr. Lindland went on to win the silver medal that year. Mr. Thompson now represents and manages Mr. Lindland’s Team Quest, which consists of about 30 professional mixed martial arts competitors, in contract negotiations, matchmaking and other legal matters.

Outside of his law practice, Mr. Thompson stays involved in the sporting world as longtime chair of the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Draft, a fundraiser hosted in conjunction with the Chicago Blackhawks.