NSAC speaks out about George St. Pierre "greasing"

The Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed today that improprieties had occurred in George St. Pierre's corner after the first and second rounds. Sherdog reports:

"After the first round, one of my inspectors came to me and told me he thought he saw one of the cornermen -- I believe it was Phil Nurse ... after putting Vaseline on [St. Pierre's] face, he saw him rub his shoulders, and it appeared as though he might not have wiped off his hands," Kizer said. "After the second round, we observed Mr. Jackson putting Vaseline on Mr. St. Pierre's face and then putting his hand on his back."

At that point, Kizer attempted to get Jackson's attention from outside the cage.

"I don't think he heard me because of all the noise in the arena, so I immediately walked into the Octagon myself -- I've probably done that two other times in my career -- and told him to take his hand off Mr. St. Pierre's back," he said. "We took a towel and wiped off his back. After the third round, we went in again and made sure his back and shoulders were wiped off to ensure a level playing field."

"I told them I was disappointed and that they may have tainted Mr. St. Pierre's victory," he said. "I told them if it happens again, it will probably be the last time they work a corner in Nevada. Basically, they said, 'Look, we're sorry. We're not trying to do anything. It was an accident.' Whether it was intentional or not, I don't know. It was improper."

According to St. Pierre's trainer, Greg Jackson, the back rubbing was part of a ritual to help calm St. Pierre, and the Vaseline was completely unintentional. I really don't know what to believe here. Other fighters (including Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra, and even BJ Penn in their first fight) have complained of St. Pierre greasing and I've seen a few pretty curious clips on the internet which make me wonder. Even if the NSAC clears St. Pierre of any wrongdoing, what should have been the pinnacle of his career thus far has been tarnished. It's undeniable Vaseline was applied to his back and shoulders, it's just going to come down to whether or not it was intentional and whether or not it was sufficiently wiped off.