Earlier this year, UFC fighter Nick Diaz was handed a five year ban and fined $165,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission for his third positive test of Marijuana.
The decision was unanimously panned by the MMA community, the NSAC were accused of abusing their power, and showing contempt to the controversial Diaz.
The suspension was seemingly even more harsh, when the test on which they based Diaz’s failing was a non-WADA accredited laboratory, and was in contrast with two other tests conducted (under WADA standards) on the very same evening.
An online petition was made to the White House, and upon receiving over 100,000 signatures earned a response.
That response came Tuesday, and although somewhat expected, didn’t exactly set the world alight.
“Thank you for your petition regarding the Nevada Athletic Commission’s suspension of Nick Diaz.
“The federal government plays no role in the disciplinary actions taken by state athletic commissions, so we are not in a position to address the specific request raised in your petition. State authorities — in this case, the Nevada Athletic Commission — will generally be the best source for information about those kinds of issues.
“However, we appreciate that so many of you banded together to make your voices heard through this platform.
“If there are federal policy issues you care about, using this tool can help you and people all across the country communicate directly with a team in the White House focused on responding to petitions that get enough support. For example, in the past few years, we’ve weighed in on issues ranging from education regulations to wildlife trafficking, from criminal justice reform to vaccinations, and from electronic communication and net neutrality to international relations.”
Despite the disappointing response from the White House, word is that Diaz’s legal team is in negotiations with the NSAC, and rumours are that his sentence shall be drastically lowered.
