Shalrie Joseph admits pot use

by Kyle McCarthy

Boston Herald

FOXBORO, May 28, 2010 - Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph revealed yesterday a positive test for marijuana prompted his recent leave of absence from the team.

Joseph left the Revolution on April 24 to enter a treatment program and returned to the club one day before playing in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Toronto FC.

“Bottom line is I made a bad decision to smoke marijuana,” Joseph said. “I got caught and they sent me to drug rehab treatment.”

Revolution and MLS officials declined to comment on the reason for Joseph’s leave of absence through their respective spokespeople.

Joseph said he learned of his positive drug test on April 23, the day before the Revolution’s 2-1 home defeat to Colorado.

“I was kind of disappointed, hearing that,” Joseph said. “I’ve made a mistake and now I have to move on from it.”

All MLS players are subjected to a minimum of two random drug tests with no prior notice per calendar year under the collectively bargained Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) program.

The independent agency in charge of the program tests year-round for substances included on the league’s prohibited list, including street drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin, performance-enhancing drugs and other substances included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

Once Joseph was informed of his positive test, he entered the SABH program under the protocols jointly outlined by MLS and the MLS players’ union. In this particular instance, those procedures triggered Joseph’s participation in a treatment program at a location Joseph said he could not disclose.

“They just sent me down there,” Joseph said. “It was basically a leave of absence. They asked me to go down there, get my mind right and I did. I went down there, spent some time, got my body right and got healthy. Now I’m back, so I’m just enjoying my life again. It’s good to be smiling and good to be playing again.”

While Joseph went through the treatment program, the Revs struggled to fill the gaping hole left by his absence. In the five games Joseph missed, the Revolution posted an 0-3-2 mark in MLS play as part of the club’s current seven-match winless streak (0-5-2). Since Joseph joined the Revs in 2003, the team has gone 9-17-8 when he does not play in a regular season match.

Joseph said he used his time away to heal his battered body - he played just once in the four games prior to his departure due to a right hip flexor strain - and follow his teammates as they battled through a hectic May schedule.

After Joseph said those same teammates welcomed him back with open arms prior to the game against TFC, he said he looks forward to repaying their faith in him by improving his match sharpness and leading the team out of its recent barren spell.

“I’ve been watching the team through highlights, seeing how we’re doing and watching the team struggling,” Joseph said. “I’m definitely disappointed in myself, not being there for the guys. I know I am a huge part of this team. Not being there for them was such a huge loss to me and a huge loss to them. I owe them to come in this week, work hard and give them 100 percent.”