The Franklin drug story timeline
A brief summary of events. Because baseball and the Mariners aren’t commenting much, a lot of this is still RFU: Ryan Frankling Uncorroborated, some of which we probably will never be able to prove one way or another. That doesn’t mean they’re false (for instance, no one else has publically verified that Franklin sent the supplements to the MLBPA and tests came up negative, but that’s almost certainly true).
I’d welcome relevant additions (particularly with citations) — email us.
2000
Franklin competes on the U.S. Olympic team, which has super-rigorous drug testing, and is not tossed out of the Olympics.
2003
Sometime: Franklin begins taking a protein supplement and a multivitamin from GNC (RFU).
2004
Passed a steroid test (RFU)*.
May 2005
Franklin tested**
Franklin notified that he tested positive for steroids.
Franklin turns over the two supplements to MLBPA. Supplements test negative. (RFU)
test date + 3 weeks: Franklin re-tested, re-test negative (RFU)
?: Franklin appeals. At least one member of the four-person Advisory Committee decides the case is worth sending to the arbitrator***
?: Franklin gets an arbitration hearing.
August
The arbitrator rules against Franklin.
8/2: Franklin suspended 10 days for violating MLB drug policy.
Still unknown: what he tested positive for
The asterisk section:
* in 2004, they were still doing survey testing, and athletes were not supposed to be individually identified or punished — whether they would be notified about a positive test is unclear in reading accounts of the testing
** under the drug testing procedures in the CBA, it appears that Franklin would give two samples, the second 5-7 days afterward. If this is the case, it would mean his positive result came up on both samples, taken days apart.
*** we don’t know who agreed with Franklin that it was appeal-worthy. On the panel is MLB labor guy Rob Manfred, MLBPA cheif Gene Orza, and two doctors