THE SCOTT MacLeod testosterone case ended with a whimper rather than a bang and it left just about everyone involved unsatisfied. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) intimated that it might yet appeal the decision, although on what grounds no-one knows. Meanwhile, the player himself is hugely bitter about lost revenue, lost matches and the inevitable slur on his character which will persist for decades to come.

"If I were an outsider looking at this case I'd probably say the same thing myself," MacLeod conceded. "'There's no smoke without fire and this is, after all, the second time he's been caught.' Some people say that I am a lucky man but how the hell am I a lucky man except that I am lucky to have a supportive family? I have done nothing wrong and yet I have missed out on possible caps, missed club matches while I was being accused of I don't know what and all the time they did not have to prove my guilt but instead it was left up to me to prove my innocence!"

In truth the Scotland lock did have a little luck in his case and it revolves around the choice of one of the three scientific expert witnesses that UK Sport asked to review his data, having finalised all the testing. It was a man by the name of Professor Vivian James who first posited the theory that alcohol might be to blame for MacLeod's high level of testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio and he did so partly because he has had prior experience of the phenomenon.

Back in September 2005 the Belfast distance runner Gareth Turnbull was tested and produced a result similar to MacLeod's. The runner was banned for two years but he spent £100,000 fighting the case, re-mortgaging his house in the process, and was eventually cleared in October of the following year. One of the experts who eventually helped Turnbull clear his name was the same Professor James.

But despite the Turnbull case ending two whole years ago, it has taken until now for WADA to rewrite their protocols on testing for alcohol. Astonishingly, and in spite of what we know about the effects of alcohol on T/E ratios, UK Sport only tested for the substance in MacLeod's B sample after a direct request from his lawyer to do so.

Even then UK Sport replied that they would test for alcohol only if both the laboratory and WADA agreed, a state of affairs MacLeod calls, "crazy, absolutely crazy". Luckily for the player, the test was carried out and it proved the presence of alcohol in his urine but that does not disguise the fact that alcohol testing is not standard procedure in these situations – a reality that scrambles the mind.

UK Sport insist that their hands are tied, they can only follow the procedures as laid out by the world's governing body on anti-doping, so the finger is pointing firmly at the Montreal offices of WADA.

In the course of communicating with WADA on this subject, the anti-drugs body had already conceded on November 14 that alcohol can boost an athlete's T/E ratio "three times or more". Scott MacLeod's T/E ratio doubled from 3.6 to 7.1. However by November 26, when MacLeod's case had highlighted the fact that WADA has made absolutely no provision to test for a substance which can dramatically affect testosterone levels, the giant organisation had changed its tune as to the importance of alcohol.

"From a general perspective, WADA is alert to the possibility that high alcohol consumption can affect some athletes' T/E ratios in a limited proportion."

Well, WADA cannot have it both ways. Alcohol can either boost an athlete's T/E ratio by "three times or more" or it can have a "limited" effect.

The anti-doping organisation adopts the moral high ground so often that it seems to believe that the end justifies the means. It fights the good fight against the rising tide of drugs but it moves at a snail's pace and, like many mammoth monopolies, it doesn't appear to care if it causes a few collateral casualties as part of that battle, it's just the price we all pay for clean sports.

The closest the organisation will ever come to admitting that it had made a mistake by not making provision to test for alcohol in cases such as MacLeod's and Turnbull's comes towards the end of that wordy and self-justifying statement they released to Scotland on Sunday on November 26.

"WADA is currently finalising an update of the technical document called 'Reporting and Evaluation Guidance for Testosterone, Epitestosterone, T/E Ratio and other Endogenous Steroids'. Consideration of the impact of ethanol (alcohol) will be formally included in the revision of that technical document. The document, which is an Annex to the International Standard for Laboratories, should be ready to be submitted to WADA's executive committee for approval in the coming weeks."

This flannel translates into English as "we mucked up and now we are changing things... belatedly". WADA is finally and formally acknowledging the effects of alcohol on T/E ratios in a document that will form part of their recommended procedures for laboratories across the world. As soon as this gets the green light from the executive committee of WADA, UK Sport and others will be able to test for alcohol without awaiting a by-your-leave from Montreal the next time Scott MacLeod works up a bit of a thirst on a Saturday night.

It has taken WADA a mere two years after the Turnbull case was completed and the changes will be implemented too late to save MacLeod all his anguish.

I suppose we should all be grateful that someone out there is manning the sporting barricades against the onslaught of drugs but WADA certainly don't make it easy.

MacLEOD'S TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

Scotland lock forward Scott MacLeod was subjected to a random drugs test at a weights training session at Murrayfield at 11am on January 25 this year.

Three weeks later the SRU were informed by UK Sport, who carry out the testing, that they had two issues with MacLeod's sample.

The first concerned a drug in his asthma inhaler, Terbutaline, which MacLeod did not have the correct exemption certificate for. The player was given a warning.

The second issue with MacLeod's sample was a higher-than-permitted level of testosterone. Subsequent testing revealed he normally produces higher than average testosterone levels.

MacLeod, who was banned, said a night out drinking with friends to celebrate being told he was to be a father had caused him to produce the high testosterone level in the initial sample. This was accepted by a review panel of Scottish experts and UK Sport.

The World Anti-Doping Authority could yet appeal the decision to allow him to resume playing but WADA has acknowledged that alcohol can elevate testosterone levels. However, MacLeod's A sample was not tested for alcohol, much to the player's and the SRU's anger.

WADA is now producing a document which details the impact of alcohol on testosterone levels and this will form part of its recommended testing procedures for laboratories across the world.