Major League Baseball (MLB) has terminated the contract of “independent” arbitrator Shyam Das. The firing comes three months after Das outraged MLB officials and the entire anti-doping community with a controversial ruling in the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun steroid case. On February 23, 2012, Das overturned Braun’s suspension due to a violation MLB’s specimen collection protocol. [Read more…]
Steroids in Sports
May
13
Lance Armstrong Will No Longer Fight Steroid and PED Accusations
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has given up the fight to defend himself against accusations of anabolic steroid and performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. In a recent interview with Josh Eells of Men’s Journal magazine, Armstrong made no effort to deny using steroids, EPO or any other prohibited PED. He indicated that he will not contest any new charges or investigations involving allegations of doping by the Tour the France champion. [Read more…]
May
12
USADA Refuses to Admit Superior Steroid Testing Protocol of Competitor VADA
When the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) announced that Light Welterweight boxing champion Lamont Peterson had tested positive for the anabolic steroid testosterone, it was a major victory for the new anti-doping organization. VADA has championed the use of a specific type of anti-doping screening test over the more commonly used testosterone:epitestosterone (T:E) ratio test. Peterson would have likely avoided detection if his urine had been screened only using the T:E ratio test. [Read more…]
May
11
Brian Cashman Testimony Good for Roger Clemens in Steroid Trial
One of the main themes put forth by Roger Clemens’ defense team is that Clemens was such an incredibly hard worker that he could never have used anabolic steroids or performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Rusty Hardin and his co-counsel feel that if they can prove that Clemens has an unparalleled work ethic, they can prove he did not use PEDs. And the government seems to be playing right into their plan. The New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, and practically every other prosecution witness, has testified that Clemens was the hardest-working player they have ever come across. [Read more…]
May
09
WADA Still Looking for Steroid Users at 2004 Athens Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been holding onto the blood and urine of thousands of potential steroid users who participated in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. They are stored in an official Olympic storage center in Lausanne, Switzerland for the urine and blood of elite athletes. [Read more…]
May
08
Andy Pettitte Testimony a Bust for Prosecution in Clemens Steroid Perjury Trial
What was expected to be a shining moment for the federal government in the Roger Clemens trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges has turned out to be a major disappointment. The government is trying to prove that Clemens lied about his use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) before Congress. The personable Andy Pettitte was supposed to tell the jury that he was certain that Roger Clemens admitted to using hGH during a conversation around 1999 or 2000. Pettitte shocked prosecutors when he essentially told Clemen’s legal team that he wasn’t sure. [Read more…]
May
07
Lamont Peterson Fails Steroid Test Before Bout with Amir Khan
Boxer Lamont Peterson, the defending WBA and IBF Light Welterweight Champion, has tested positive for the use of the anabolic steroid testosterone in advance of his rematch against Amir Khan. Ironically, it was Peterson who requested that Khan agree to random blood and urine testing administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) in the build up to the May 19, 2012 rematch. [Read more…]
May
04
Bulgarian Olympic Gold Medalist Turns to Cocaine Trafficking After Steroid Suspension
Bulgarian Olympic weightlifting champion Galabin Boevski was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison after being convicted of international drug trafficking. Boevski was arrested on October 25, 2011 at the Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo (Brazil) after attempting to board the plane with eight kilograms of cocaine. Boevski was headed to Bulgaria via Spain where the product was estimated to be valued at $500,000 on the streets of European cities. [Read more…]
May
03
Former University of North Dakota Football Players Linked to Anabolic Steroids
Law enforcement officers have recently been busting college athletes who use steroids even when the steroid testing program administered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has failed to detect the use of such drugs. Police in Grand Forks County recently uncovered anabolic steroids at the home of three players for the 2011 University of North Dakota football team. [Read more…]
May
02
Floyd Mayweather Scared of Manny Pacquiao on Steroids
American boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the WBC Welterweight Champion, has finally disclosed the true reasons for his insistence upon strict steroid testing as a condition for any fight with top contender Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather admitted that he is concerned about being hurt, with possibly long-lasting injuries, when stepping into the ring with a potentially steroid-enhanced Pacquiao. [Read more…]
