Fitzmaurice: supplements has "become a dirty word"
June 06, 2017
Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice speaks to his players.
©INPHO/James Crombie.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice has explained why supplements are so important to GAA players.
Kerry footballer Brendan O'Sullivan tested positive for a banned substance following last year's national football league final, having taken a contaminated product from "outside of the set-up", without consulting with Kingdom nutritionist Kevin Beasley.
"It's become a dirty word, like there's some sort of negative connotation attached. A supplement is as it sounds, it's an add-on, not a replacement, in someone's diet," Fitzmaurice is quoted in The Irish Examiner.
"Kerry has a food-first motto, ie, the players get their nutrition from food as much as they possibly can. However, because of the nature of how hard and when they train, sometimes they are advised on supplements they can take if they wish to aid their nutrition.
"For example, after a gym session where they've expended a lot of energy, the players will have a protein shake or a bar to get as much protein into their system as quickly as possible. If they were to be eating the amount of chicken, fish, and other foods they need to refuel, they'd be eating a huge amount of food every day to get the requisite calories in. I know that's what WADA advise, but in the real world, particularly for people that are working, it's very hard to eat that amount of food and calories. The supplement comes in as an add-on.
"Every one of those supplements has to be certified by InForm Sport, which guarantees there are no contaminated substances present. Every player would be so advised and entitled to take this stuff which is perfectly legal, and there's never been a problem.
"Brendan's mistake was that he went and got something from outside the set-up and took it without seeking the advice of (nutritionist) Kevin Beasley or our doctor. We alerted the players since this thing became a problem. We obviously advised them: You don't take anything except what comes from inside the camp, and if you are about to take anything, please consult the nutritionist or the doctor."
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