Sonnen appeals Drug Test

It’s going to be very interesting to hear what Chael Sonnen will say to refute allegations by the California State Athletic Commission that he was doped for an August fight with Anderson Silva: Sonnen has been granted a Dec. 2 hearing to address charges of elevated testosterone levels.

He could:

1. Argue the levels were the result of a doctor-prescribed course to counteract low levels -- but Sonnen did not disclose any medically-approved treatment on his commission forms.

2. Argue that his levels are the result of contaminated supplements, the go-to Twinkie defense of accused steroid users everywhere. The problem is that Sonnen, whether it’s in fine print or not, has the responsibility of making sure anything he ingests is free of anything that could mark him a cheater.

3. Argue that he was framed by his political opponents in Oregon.

4. Show up wearing an Easter bunny outfit and receive leniency based on the fact that he appears insane.

It’s a hard hole to dig out of: drug testing, while far from an exact science, has a fairly accurate barometer for measuring testosterone. The best a charged athlete can hope for is to cloud the issue by casting doubts over testing protocol or introducing variables like supplements or prescription medication. Whatever the case, I sincerely hope the good people at CSPAN think to broadcast this.