Filed under: Golf
Golf is one sport where cheating is not tolerated and, despite his best efforts to prove his innocence, Elliot Saltman has been forced to sit out a three month ban that finally ends this week.The 29-year-old was hit with the substantial penalty after being accused of breaking golf's strict rules when marking his golf ball on a green.
The Scottish golfer was found guilty of the breach at the Russian Challenge Cup in September after playing partners Stuart Davis and Marcus Higley stated that Saltman moved his marker closer to the hole on five occasions.
It was a charge he always denied and even claimed the results of a lie detector test proved his innocence, yet he did not choose to fight to overturn the European Tour's decision.
However, with his suspension now over, he will return to competition at the Spanish Open.
Yet while he may have served the time, Saltman is all too aware that the stigma of being labelled a cheat will be harder to shake off.
He told the BBC: "I know there is a lot of sympathy for me amongst the players [but] I am sure that a few will give me a frosty reception. That will be difficult, but I will just have to live with it.
"I wish to emphasise again that I do not cheat, have never cheated and do not believe I have done anything wrong.
"It has been a terrible few months. To have people who don't know me and who know nothing about me go out in the media and question my honesty is really hurtful.
"To be accused of being a cheat is a terrible stigma and sadly is one that I will now almost certainly have to carry for the rest of my life."
Saltman, whose last Tour event was the Joburg Open in January where he failed to make the cut, has every reason to fear a backlash from his fellow professionals.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/05/02/elliot-saltman-will-find-it-hard-to-shrug-off-cheat-tag-after/
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