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Art Rooney (r) Says That Team Physician
Is Not Target Of Steroid Probe |
No athletes have been “accused of violating any laws and prosecutors said they don’t intend to pursue criminal charges against people who are customers” of Orlando-based Signature Pharmacy and Alabama-based Applied Pharmacy Services (
Brendan Lyons, Albany TIMES UNION, 3/1).
STEELERS: Steelers President Art Rooney II in a statement yesterday said team physician Dr. Richard Rydze “was told that he is not a target” in a federal investigation into illegal steroid sales. Rooney: “I advised the League office [Tuesday] of our knowledge of the situation. I have also reviewed the matter with our Head Trainer, John Norwig, as well as the head of our medical staff, Dr. Tony Yates. There is no evidence that Dr. Rydze prescribed or provided any hormone treatments to any of our players. Dr. Rydze has assured me that this has never happened and will never happen. We will continue to monitor this situation to make sure that we can continue to feel confident in our medical staff” (Steelers). In Pittsburgh, Mike Wereschagin reports Steelers players “said they’ve had little contact with Rydze, who is one of six doctors listed on the team’s Web site” (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 3/1). Rydze acknowledged purchasing HGH, but said that he uses it “to treat elderly patients who are ‘deficient in growth hormone,’ and require tendon repair.” Rydze said of the Rooneys, “They have my trust that I would never do this with an athlete” (SI.com, 2/28).
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Matthews Jr. Meets With Angels
Brass Following HGH Report |
MATTHEWS: SI.com’s Llosa & Wertheim reported several “high-profile athletes will be asked to explain why drugs associated with performance enhancement were prescribed in their names.” Law enforcement documents state that Angels CF Gary Matthews Jr., who was reported to be on a customer list of Applied Pharmacy Services, in August ’04 was sent a type of synthetic HGH “at an address in Mansfield, Texas,” the residence of a former minor league teammate (
SI.com, 2/28). Matthews said that his agent, Scott Leventhal, “would work with the [MLBPA] to obtain more information.” Matthews has not retained an attorney, and MLBPA Dir of Communications Greg Bouris “would not say whether the union would handle legal representation.” Matthews met yesterday with Angels Owner Arte Moreno, GM Bill Stoneman, manager Mike Scioscia and VP/Communications Tim Mead, but Moreno indicated that Matthews “was not asked about the allegations.” Moreno: “I don’t think it’s our position to do that right now” (
L.A. TIMES, 3/1). Moreno said that the Angels “would not ask him questions until he was ready to answer them, but that he also needed to be honest with them” (
N.Y. TIMES, 3/1). Stoneman did not say if Matthews “had a clause in his contract that offered the team recourse in case he was found to have used performance-enhancing substances” (
L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/1).
GROWING TREND: ESPN’s Buster Olney, on the MLB drug-testing program: “In 2005, when they had the first time where a player would be suspended for a first-time positive drug test, that year they felt the bodies were getting smaller. Now they really believe the bodies are getting bigger again. Everybody knows how to beat this testing system. If you take (HGH), there’s nothing (MLB) can do about it” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 2/28). ESPN The Magazine’s Tom Farrey added on HGH testing, “They could adopt this test right now. ... But the NFL and (other) leagues don’t want to adopt it. Blood seems too invasive. They just don’t simply want to go there. Makes you wonder if they really want to know who is taking this stuff” (ESPNews, 2/28).
THE REAL DEAL: Boxer Evander Holyfield, whose name also reportedly appeared on Applied Pharmacy Services’ customer list, denied the reports, saying, “Every title fight I fight, I’ve had to take tests. The boxing people look at your blood. They’ll have a history of where his weight has always been. ... I walk around at the same weight I fight in” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/1).
