Russell to know his fate soon

The fate of West Indies cricketer Andr Russell could be decided in the next two to three weeks following final submissions from Russell's and JADCO's representative in the allrounder's whereabouts hearing at the Jamaica Conference Centre yesterday.

The three-member panel consisting of chairman Hugh Faulkner, Dr Majorie Vassell and Dixieth Palmer heard lengthy final arguments, especially from JADCO lawyer Lackston Robinson, whose presentation lasted nearly four hours. The submission from Russell's representative, Patrick Foster, lasted more than two hours.

CALL FOR DISMISSAL

In his submission, Foster called for the case to be dismissed. If he is found to be negligent, then he recommended that the cricketer not receive more than a 12-month ban.

"The onus is on the complainant to prove the filing failures to the panel. When giving more than one filing failure in a quarter, you need to be clear. It was a recipe for confusion," he argued.

He added: "Because Russell was unfamiliar with the (filing) process, he cannot be considered to be negligent."

Robinson pointed out that JADCO went over and beyond in trying to assist Russell to file his whereabouts information but claimed that the athlete was just "grossly negligent" and insisted that a one-year sanction was not permissible.

"The role of the athlete is to comply with the rules. It is his responsibility to comply with JADCO and international standards, so it was for him to avail himself. It is his duty," Robinson argued.

He also noted that JADCO was within its rights to record a second filing failure against the cricketer in the July to September quarter and insisted that Russell received more than adequate notification and more than one extension on his deadline but made no effort to provide the information required by the anti-doping organisation.

Russell faces a ban of up to two years if he is found guilty of the allegations.