Fred Kerley Speaks Out After Being Handed Two-Year Ban: 'You Can't Control Me'

American sprinter Fred Kerley has hit back at the Disciplinary Tribunal following his two-year ban for whereabout failures.

The ruling was made after the former world 100m champion was found to have committed three whereabouts violations between May 11 and December 6, 2024.

The disciplinary panel described his actions as "negligent and, to a certain extent, reckless" in his failure to comply with anti-doping regulations.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Google News, Stay informed with Latest Sport News

Kerley, 30, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in August of last year, which prevented him from competing at the World Championships in Tokyo that September. His ban is effective until August 11, 2027.

Fred Kerley posted on social media expressing strong frustration about how the disciplinary process is handled. He stated that the investigation conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit had resulted not only in the case against him but also in a demand that he contributes $3,000 toward the expenses connected with the proceedings associated with World Athletics.

The Olympic 100m bronze medallist argued that it seemed unfair that the body responsible for bringing the allegation was also the one expecting him to cover part of the expenses linked to the matter.

He suggested that competitors already contribute greatly to the sport through their performances, their public image, and the effort they invest in competition, and he questioned why those same competitors should also be expected to financially support the disciplinary framework used in disputes involving them.

Fred Kerley further implied that frequent location-reporting violations and similar investigations involving competitors appear to play a major role in sustaining the enforcement structure, hinting that the framework might struggle to operate without a steady flow of such cases.

“The AIU runs a case on me, then orders me to pay $3000 to World Athletics…So the same system that prosecutes the case thinks I should also pay their legal costs?” Fred Kerley said.

“Athletes already fund this sport with our performances, our likeness, and our labour. Now we’re supposed to finance the legal system used against us too? And let’s be real… if athletes weren’t constantly getting targeted with whereabouts violations and cases, how would this whole system even fund itself?

“Meanwhile this is the same organization where an audit found over $1.5 million stolen internally by staff. Millions can go missing inside the system… but the athlete is the one being told to pay the bill.”

In another tweet, Fred Kerley added: "I’m tired of holding everything in. You can’t control me, and the truth is louder than silence."

Meanwhile, as part of the ruling, all of Fred Kerley's competitive results from December 6, 2024, to August 12, 2025, have been nullified. This includes the forfeiture of any titles, prizes, and prize money earned during that period.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes are in violation if they accumulate three missed tests or filing failures within a 12-month window. The AIU noted that a fourth alleged failure on December 7 was not considered by the tribunal, as a violation had already been established based on the first three incidents.

Fred Kerley's decorated career includes a 100m gold medal at the 2022 World Championships and two men's 4x100m relay world titles in 2019 and 2023. He also earned Olympic medals in the 100m, securing silver at Tokyo 2020 and bronze at Paris 2024.

While Kerley did not contest the failure on June 13, he attributed a missed test on May 11 to technical problems with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) app. He also blamed the Doping Control Officer (DCO) for the missed tests in December. The decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).