Dutch ProTeam calls current reports rumors, but says that if their investigation reveals anything illegal, he'll be fired on the spot
It didn't take long for Riccardo Ricco's Vacansoleil-DCM team to respond to the latest Ricco news, which points strongly toward a blood transfusion gone bad. The team does not admit any truth to the news, calling the reports coming out as 'rumors'.
"Through the Italian media, the team learned of rumors surrounding Riccardo Ricco. These rumors say that Ricco admitted to giving himself a blood transfusion. [The rumors say that] Ricco admitted the transfusion to the doctors when he was hospitalized in Pavullo for a high fever [and renal failure]."
Some might take umbrage with the word 'rumor' in relation to Ricco at the moment, considering that CONI has opened up a case against Ricco. The matter seems to be a bit further along than a rumor, but it does make good sense on the team's part to protect its rider just in case the worst and probable case scenario isn't true. It looks dire to say the least, and it seems likely we'll never see Ricco race again, but at this moment, there's still a chance that this is a case like the suspect pills found at Ricco's house over the winter, which turned out to be nothing more than normal medications. It doesn't look that way, in fact, it looks almost impossible, but Vacansoleil can't be faulted for hoping that this is all a bad dream.
With that said, they're opening their own investigation into the matter, and if anything untoward is discovered, Ricco will be fired. Of course, it really doesn't matter if they fire Ricco, because if anything relating to blood doping is found, Ricco looks set to receive a lifetime ban and likely some jail time as well - to the tune of possibly three years.
"The team declares that it does not have enough knowledge of the relevant facts to make a deliberate judgement on the matter. The team has a zero-tolerance policy concerning doping use. All riders and staff who violate the internal and UCI doping rules are fired on the spot. The team has started an investigation on the facts. Depending on the results of the investigation, further steps could be taken."