AJ Ferrari, who medically forfeited from the NCAA Championship after losing in the semifinal to Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida, has issued a clarification regarding his earlier remarks made against the Cyclones star.
After losing in the semifinal, Ferrari allegedly implied that Bastida may have used HGH (human growth hormone). He pointed out Bastida’s unlikely weight gain and physical changes like acne. He also said testing protocols should check for HGH as well. Those remarks were widely interpreted as an accusation of PED use.
A couple of days later, it appears Ferrari is walking back on his supposed remarks, which were believed to be an accusation against Bastida. Taking to Instagram on Monday, Ferrari clarified that he wasn’t accusing Bastida of anything but was landing premise for testing protocols to check for HGH as well.
“I want to be clear about something regarding my last opponent: I was not at all saying that he is on HGH,” Ferrari said. “I said that “some” people should be tested, which was a very general statement, and I said it with a little laugh. I was just being facetious (joking) about the whole thing. If it was taken the wrong way, I feel very badly about that because it was not my intention.”
Ferrari also appreciated all the opponents he has faced this year on his way to the semifinals, including Bastida.
“All those whom I wrestled this year are top athletes who deserve compliments for their abilities, accomplishments, and work ethic,” Ferrari continued. “Yonger Bastida, Taye Ghadali, and Nick Feldman are awesome wrestlers, and they beat me fairly. Just like I beat Ghadali, Connor Doucet, Ben Kueter, and many others this season – fairly.”
Ferrari hopes to return stronger next season while adding his love for the sport and his faith in “Yahuah, our Master, and Yahusha (the Christ).”
Before AJ Ferrari’s Clarification, Yonger Bastida’s Strengh Coach Demanded Apology
Long before AJ Ferrari issued a clarification on his statement, Yonger Bastida’s strength coach Durbin took a dig at Nebraska’s wrestler for his implied HGH allegation.
“AJ, you’re barking up the wrong tree on this one,” Durbin said in a video. “My name is Coach Durbin, AKA Turbo Durbo.
Durbin went into the technicalities, breaking down Ferrari’s accusation one by one. Starting with unlikely weight gain accusation, Durbin said:
“I was the strength coach in charge of Yonger Bastida’s transition from 197 to heavyweight. Now, I’ve been watching your training. You don’t have a standard son. You shortcut everything, you add load, but then you shorten the range of motion. That is not an indication of strength gain. That is only you shortening the distance in which you are moving the weight.
“So what happened? What happened because you spent too much time hooting and hollering around the cameras. Yonger was training, and he was training, and he was consistent, and day in and day out, he was waiting for his opportunity to fully train your ass.”
In his tweet, Durbin said he expects an apology from Ferrari and it should happen within 72 hours. It appears Ferrari has indeed apologized and has put the issue to bed.
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