Statement from Tyler Hamilton’s Attorney of Record, Chris Manderson, in response to WADA’s decision to withdraw its appeal to lengthen Hamilton’s 8 year suspension:

"We commend WADA for finally doing the right thing.   WADA’s appeal was wrong on the law and wrong on the facts, so it was right for WADA to drop its appeal instead of wasting resources on a personal vendetta against Tyler that would do nothing to further the worthy goal of eliminating doping in sport. 

It is telling that WADA dropped its case only three days after we filed Tyler’s appeal brief, which destroyed WADA's specious arguments for a lifetime suspension and made the highly unusual request for a full public hearing. 

Finally, we are puzzled by WADA's explanation that it dropped the appeal “following receipt of background information that was not available when the case was launched...”  This is simply not true. There was no new material information provided.  WADA already had USADA's entire case file, and the only new information in Tyler 's brief was contained in affidavits from Tyler and his doctors in which they disclosed additional details of his fight against depression.  Tyler had already discussed his depression extensively in a press conference in April. 

Therefore, WADA's stated reason for dropping the appeal is clearly an attempt to avoid the public scrutiny a hearing would have incited."