May 29, 2008 (Montreal, QC) – Maurice Duquette, who most notably was top Canadian cycling star, Genevieve Jeanson’s former doctor, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 14 charges of administering erythropoietin (EPO) to professional athletes before a disciplinary committee of the College des Medecins du Quebec (Quebec College of Doctors) according to Radio Canada and Canadian Press.

Duquette says that he administered EPO and other illicit substances – including testosterone and growth hormones – to several professional athletes, including players for the Montreal Canadiens’ hockey team and Alouettes’ football team. Duquette falsified the medical records of some of his patients and wrote false prescriptions to obtain EPO from two pharmacists in Montreal.

Duquette’s list of patients is long and includes notable athletes in the world of athletics, speed skating and cross-country skiing. Particular mention is made of one patient who is an elite male cyclist who has won seven medals in international competitions.

A former top level female cyclist testified against Duquette. “I was 28 when I met Dr. Duquette, but I put myself in the skin of Genevieve who was only 16. Imagine when someone says to a 16-year-old that you will improve your performances and become a world champion if you take EPO. I don’t know what I would have done in Jeanson’s place,” recounted the cyclist whose name cannot be revealed because of a publication ban. Similarly, no other names of athletes were released.

Duquette had contacts with team doctors in Europe and with the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. Possible sanctions against the doctor include being dismissed from his profession for four years and being banned from having contact with anyone in the sporting world. The two-day hearing concluded Wednesday, but the committee postponed judgment on Duquette.

Donald Beauchamp, a spokesman for the Montreal Canadiens, denied his team had any official contact with Duquette. Louis-Philippe Dorais, an official with the Montreal Alouettes, issued a similar statement. Dorais conceded, however, that the team did not have control over private contacts between its players and Duquette.

Last September, Jeanson (formerly with RONA) publicly accused Duquette of administering and supplying her EPO starting at age 16. Initially the drug was proposed to the former top level cyclist under the pretext of treating her anaemia, but it is on WADA’s list of banned substances for professional athletes. Jeanson admits to having used EPO “almost all her career.”