Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar and a Houston endocrinologist who had treated athletes belonging to the Portland-based training group, have been banned for four years for doping violations.

The decision was announced Monday by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and begins immediately.

In a prepared statement, the USADA wrote that two, three-member arbitration panels had determined Salazar and Dr. Jeffrey Brown should be banned for “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct.”

Here is the USADA release.

Salazar said he was “shocked by the decision.” He said he would appeal.

Much of of the arbitrators’ report about Salazar concerns an experiment involving a large infusion of the amino acid L-Carnitine to Steve Magness, then an Oregon Project assistant. The infusion is larger than permitted. Magness never competed as an Oregon Project athlete.

The report also details an experiment in which Salazar’s sons had small amounts of testosterone applied to their skin, and then tested to see if their testosterone levels exceeded allowable levels. Neither son is an elite athlete.

Part of the report’s summary reads:

“The Panel notes that the Respondent does not appear to have been motivated by any bad intention to commit the violations the Panel found. In fact, the Panel was struck by the amount of care generally taken by Respondent to ensure that whatever new technique or method or substance he was going to try was lawful under the World Anti-Doping Code, with USADA’s witness characterizing him as the coach they heard from the most with respect to trying to ensure that he was complying with his obligations. The Panel has taken pains to note that Respondent made unintentional mistakes that violated the rules, apparently motivated by his desire to provide the very best results and training for athletes under his care. Unfortunately, that desire clouded his judgment in some instances, when his usual focus on the rules appears to have lapsed.”

Here is a complete copy of the arbitrators’ report.

Salazar is believed to be in Doha, Qatar, where a number of Oregon Project athletes are competing in the World Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan of the Oregon Project won the women’s 10,000 title on Saturday.

A former University of Oregon track star, Salazar has had a storied coaching career, guiding Olympic gold medalists Mo Farah and Matthew Centrowitz, as well as two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp.

Centrowitz and Farah left the Oregon Project before the ban was announced, Farah in 2017 and Centrowitz last year.

Salazar repeatedly has denied the charges, and did so again Monday.

In a prepared statement on the Oregon Project website, Salazar criticized his treatment during the USADA investigation as "unjust, unethical and highly damaging.”

Salazar took particular umbrage at a statement attributed to USADA chief executive Travis Tygart that read: “While acting in connection with the Nike Oregon Project, Mr. Salazar and Dr. Brown demonstrated that winning was more important than the health and well-being of the athletes they were sworn to protect.”

Salazar said: “This is completely false and contrary to the findings of the arbitrators.”

Nike stood behind him, issuing a statement that read, in part: "Today’s decision had nothing to do with administering banned substances to any Oregon Project athlete. As the panel noted, they were struck by the amount of care Alberto took to ensure he was complying with the World Anti-Doping Code.

"We support Alberto in his decision to appeal and wish him the full measure of due process that the rules require "

-- Jeff Manning contributed to this report.

-- Ken Goe

kgoe@oregonian.com | @KenGoe

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