Fred Kerley was assessed a provisional suspension stemming from a whereabouts violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced on Tuesday.
Kerley, the silver medalist in the men’s 100m in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and bronze winner in the same event at the Paris Games last year, reportedly amassed three whereabouts failures.
The AIU states that a violation can occur when an athlete does not give accurate information about their exact location in a given time or they have not made themselves available during a 60-minute time slot for testing in their whereabouts filing.
In a statement posted to one of his social media accounts, Kerley plans to contest any notion that he broke AIU regulations.
“Fred Kerley has already notified the AlU that he intends to contest the allegation that he has violated the anti-doping rules related to whereabouts failures, as he strongly believes that one of more of his alleged missed tests should be set aside either because he was not negligent or because the Doping Control Officer did not do what was reasonable under the circumstances to locate him at his designated location,” the statement read. “Fred will not comment further at this time out of respect for the process, and looks forward to presenting his case to the appointed hearing.”
Kerley, 30, has had a turbulent year with public encounters that have drawn significantly more headlines than his performance on the track.
In January he was taken in custody by Miami Beach police after an incident where officers said he approach them during an active investigation and asked about his vehicle. A police report claims that Kerley was aggressive, refused to leave the area and he was detained with a stun gun during the incident and restrained by officers before being removed as he later faced battery, resisting an officer without violence and disorderly conduct charges.
Meanwhile in April following a Grand Slam Track Miami press event, he was arrested after allegedly striking ex-girlfriend Alaysha Johnson in the face and caused her nose to bleed, according to a police report. Kerley and his lawyer said that matter was a misunderstanding and the confrontation escalated due to an unprovoked attack on Kerley as a scuffle broke out. Kerley was later dismissed from Grand Slam Track and did not compete at the Miami event.
Kerley has competed in 2025 but suddenly withdrew from the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon — which were held between July 31 and August 3 — and effectively put an end to his season and a possible bid to run at the world championships in Tokyo in September.
“The 100m should be a straight sprint. 2025 has presented many hurdles. Taking some time out to get back on track. No USATF Champs this year. Thanks to all my supporters,” Kerley posted in a message on social media on July 30.
