The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Monday that USA Women's National Team hopeful Nia Williams has received a four-year ban for using prohibited substances.

Williams is from Naperville, Ill. and played for Eastern Illinois University. She has been in residency with the USA 7s team since the winter, made her USA debut in Dubai in December. However, once USA Rugby learned of her positive drug test, she was removed from the program.

Williams, 22, tested positive for 19‐norandrosterone (“19‐NA”), and 2a‐methyl‐5a‐androstan‐3a-ol‐17‐one, metabolites of the prohibited anabolic agents nandrolone (or its precursors) and drostanolone, respectively, as the result of an out-of-competition test on November 6, 2015. Williams also tested positive for 19‐NA, drostanolone and its metabolite 2a‐methyl‐5a‐androstan‐3a-ol‐17‐one, as the result of an in-competition test on December 3, 2015, at the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Seven Series in Dubai.

These substances are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) National Anti-Doping Policies (USOC NADP), and the World Rugby Anti‐doping Regulations, all of whom have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19‐norandrosterone "is the principal urinary metabolite of the anabolic steroid nandrolone and its prohormones." 

Williams’ period of ineligibility began on December 7, 2015, when she received notice of her provisional suspension. In addition, Williams has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to November 6, 2015, the date her first positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

The USADA added in its announcement that information is available on its website regarding medications and how to obtain permission to use medications. It's not clear exactly what Williams took that resulted in two failed drug tests, however, a four-year ban is a serious punishment, indicating the USADA regarded it as a serious offense.

The USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement; they will often turn up at athletes' homes unannounced t administer random tests - athletes do not have the option of saying no.

It is unclear at present if the USA WNT will have to forfeit points from the World Series - although they didn't do all that well in Dubai, earning only two points in the standings. It is also unclear why Williams was selected for Dubai given that she failed a drug test three weeks before selection. (Addendum - According to USA Rugby sources, USA Rugby and the Women's 7s program did not know of Williams's initial positive drug test until after the  Dubai 7s.)