D.A. To Send Names Of Athletes Buying Drugs To Leagues

Fehr Denies Telling Players Not To Cooperate With Probe

Albany District Attorney David Soares indicated that he will forward the names “of any athlete who was buying drugs from two pharmacies involved in a nationwide steroid investigation” to the leagues they play for, including the NFL and MLB, according to T.J. Quinn of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Those players “ultimately could be called as witnesses against the distributors and physicians who are the targets” of Soares’ investigation. Soares does not plan to make the names public, but said, “We’re going to be sending (the leagues) information to vet those names, see if they are who they say they are.” MLB and NFL reps met with Soares and his staff in Albany last week, and said that they were “willing to assist in the investigation” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/14).

FEHR: MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr, when asked about reports that the union has advised members not to speak to George Mitchell’s committee investigating steroid use in baseball, said, “It’s our job and our legal obligation to represent the players. ... We don’t tell anybody who they can talk to or who they can’t. What we would do in a normal circumstances is say that the better course is that before you do anything you should get appropriate legal advice” (MLB.com, 3/12).