The former Black Cap returned a positive test for prohibited substances 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine (PBA) and N, alpha-diethly-benzeneethanamine (DEBEA) after playing for Wellington in a one-day match against Northern Districts on March 24.
The 29-year-old has been banned for six months, escaping a mandatory two-year ban because the Sports Tribunal accepted Ryder had inadvertently taken performance-enhancing drugs and had no intention of cheating.
He was initially provisionally suspended on April 19 pending a hearing, so is free to resume his career on October 19. He will not miss any matches for Otago, which came as a relief to Dykes.
''It was a bit of an innocent mistake which could and should have been avoided,'' Dykes said.
''But there was no intent to take performance-enhancing drugs, so we are pleased the tribunal sees it that way.''
Asked if Dykes considered it was a gamble to sign Ryder with anti-doping hearing pending, he responded by saying he had received ''very good and quite detailed information from Jesse and his agent about what had happened.
''We had confidence in the fact we got total disclosure from Jesse. We felt confident we were doing the right thing and that the punishment would fit the crime.''
Ryder, who is often taunted because of his weight, told the tribunal he had taken two diet pills five days before being tested.
He was recommended the product, Gaspari Detonate, by a friend to help with his weight loss. He made a reasonable effort to check the product was safe, including consulting with High Performance Sport New Zealand strength and conditioning specialist Stephen Hotter.
When Ryder tested positive, he engaged toxicologist Helen Poulsen, who tested the product and found it contained banned substances PBA and DEBEA, which were not listed in the ingredients.
In his judgement, tribunal head Alan Galbraith QC found there was no intent to cheat - some effort was made to ascertain the safety of the product and that the lesser penalty imposed reflected this.
However, he was critical of Ryder's decision not to seek further clarification from Drug Free Sport New Zealand.
University of Otago associate professor of sports medicine Dr David Gerrard said while he had some sympathy for Ryder's situation, the incident served as a reminder to all athletes how careful they need to be before deciding to take a supplement.
''If you are a high-performing athlete you have the obligation to ensure what you are taking is not prohibited,'' Gerrard said.
''If you can't confirm it, then the simple answer is don't take it. That is the underlining principle which we educate our athletes about.
''The whole question of supplements needs to be highlighted by the mistake Jesse Ryder has made.
''We have an entrenched sports myth that supplements are absolutely essential if you want to be an elite athlete. What we have to balance this with is the medical and scientific evidence, which is virtually zero, and the $30 billion industry in the United States which promote supplements.
''The truth is there is little if any regulation for these in the US. There is questionable quality control and there is a very high risk of contamination with substances that can be on the banned list.
''They don't report that on the packaging or on the websites.''
