Usually a failed drug test will lead to a loss of most, if not all, major sponsors for an athlete.
Nike, however, is sticking by Maria Sharapova, who received a two-year ban from the International Tennis Federation yesterday after testing positive for an illegal substance in January.
According to an AP report, Nike said yesterday it "will continue to partner" with Sharapova despite the suspension, and added, "We hope to see Maria back on the court."
This isn't the first time the mammoth shoe and clothing company has had to deal with a doping controversy with one of its athletes.
In 2012, Nike announced that it had dropped Lance Armstrong due to "insurmountable evidence" of doping violations. The brand added, "Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner."
Nike also dropped baseball player Ryan Bruan in 2013 after testing positive for PED use.
An independent tribunal found Sharapova clearly committed an anti-doping rules violation by testing positive for meldonium (also known as Mildronate), a metabolic modulator. As described in its ruling, the tribunal felt Sharapova took the substance with the sole purpose of gaining an athletic advantage:
"The manner of [Sharapova's use of Mildronate], on match days and when undertaking intensive training, is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels. It may be that she genuinely believed that Mildronate had some general beneficial effect on her health but the manner in which the medication was taken, its concealment from the anti-doping authorities, her failure to disclose it even to her own team, and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took Mildronate for the purpose of enhancing her performance."
Sharapova announced that she will appeal what she called an "unfairly harsh" punishment.
When Sharapova's failed drug test was announced in March, Nike said it had "decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues," but that it would "monitor the situation."
