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Growth hormone is latest bombshell to hit baseball
By Larry Fine
Reuters
Thursday, June 8, 2006; 8:54 PM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major League Baseball's independent panel investigating drug use is not commenting on the latest doping bombshell to hit the game - that players may be cheating the system by taking human growth hormone.
Journeyman relief pitcher Jason Grimsley admitted using human growth hormones, steroids, amphetamines and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs during his career and named other baseball users, according to a sworn affidavit from a federal investigator and documents filed in Arizona's federal court.
The 38-year-old Grimsley, whose Scottsdale, Arizona, home was searched by federal agents on Tuesday, was cut from the roster by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
"This is a black mark on a great game," said Ken Kendrick, managing partner of the Diamondbacks.
"We have no comment," said John Clarke, spokesman for former U.S. senator George Mitchell, who was named in March to lead an independent investigation into the past use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
Baseball has just navigated its way through Barry Bonds, at the center of steroid-taking allegations, surpassing Babe Ruth and taking second place on the all-time home run list.
FEDERAL PROBE
According to a report in the Arizona Republic, Grimsley's case may have been tied to the federal probe into Bonds.
The newspaper quoted the attorney for Grimsley as saying federal agents tried to pressure the former Diamondbacks pitcher into wearing a listening device to lure other major league players into confidential conversations in an effort to find incriminating evidence against Bonds.
"It was a specific effort to target Bonds," it quoted Edward F. Novak, a criminal attorney in Arizona. "We were told that Jason's cooperation was necessary to their case."
Novak said Grimsley, a 15-year major leaguer who played for seven different teams, "was outed by the feds" because he refused to cooperate.
Names of other players who Grimsley told investigators were also using banned substances were blacked out in the federal documents that were made public. It quoted Grimsley as saying amphetamines were once used "like aspirin" in clubhouses.
Grimsley was confronted by federal agents when he took delivery in April of two kits of growth hormone, according to the documents.
Since the major leagues now impose random urine tests to detect steroids and amphetamines, Grimsley was using only human growth hormone, according to the documents.
Major league commissioner Bud Selig deferred to Mitchell over the case. "Because this is an ongoing criminal investigation, I will not make any comment about this specific case," he said in a statement.
"As a general matter, however, I urge everyone associated with Major League Baseball - from the players to the union to the owners - to cooperate with the ongoing investigations by the Federal government and by former Sen. George Mitchell."
Major league official Rob Manfred said in a statement that HGH presented special problems in terms of testing.
"No governing body in any sport has ever been able to discipline an athlete for the use of HGH.
"Major League Baseball understands that its policy must continue to evolve to keep pace with scientific development," said Manfred, adding that baseball was funding research to develop a urine test for HGH.
By Larry Fine
Reuters
Thursday, June 8, 2006; 8:54 PM
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major League Baseball's independent panel investigating drug use is not commenting on the latest doping bombshell to hit the game - that players may be cheating the system by taking human growth hormone.
Journeyman relief pitcher Jason Grimsley admitted using human growth hormones, steroids, amphetamines and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs during his career and named other baseball users, according to a sworn affidavit from a federal investigator and documents filed in Arizona's federal court.
The 38-year-old Grimsley, whose Scottsdale, Arizona, home was searched by federal agents on Tuesday, was cut from the roster by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
"This is a black mark on a great game," said Ken Kendrick, managing partner of the Diamondbacks.
"We have no comment," said John Clarke, spokesman for former U.S. senator George Mitchell, who was named in March to lead an independent investigation into the past use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
Baseball has just navigated its way through Barry Bonds, at the center of steroid-taking allegations, surpassing Babe Ruth and taking second place on the all-time home run list.
FEDERAL PROBE
According to a report in the Arizona Republic, Grimsley's case may have been tied to the federal probe into Bonds.
The newspaper quoted the attorney for Grimsley as saying federal agents tried to pressure the former Diamondbacks pitcher into wearing a listening device to lure other major league players into confidential conversations in an effort to find incriminating evidence against Bonds.
"It was a specific effort to target Bonds," it quoted Edward F. Novak, a criminal attorney in Arizona. "We were told that Jason's cooperation was necessary to their case."
Novak said Grimsley, a 15-year major leaguer who played for seven different teams, "was outed by the feds" because he refused to cooperate.
Names of other players who Grimsley told investigators were also using banned substances were blacked out in the federal documents that were made public. It quoted Grimsley as saying amphetamines were once used "like aspirin" in clubhouses.
Grimsley was confronted by federal agents when he took delivery in April of two kits of growth hormone, according to the documents.
Since the major leagues now impose random urine tests to detect steroids and amphetamines, Grimsley was using only human growth hormone, according to the documents.
Major league commissioner Bud Selig deferred to Mitchell over the case. "Because this is an ongoing criminal investigation, I will not make any comment about this specific case," he said in a statement.
"As a general matter, however, I urge everyone associated with Major League Baseball - from the players to the union to the owners - to cooperate with the ongoing investigations by the Federal government and by former Sen. George Mitchell."
Major league official Rob Manfred said in a statement that HGH presented special problems in terms of testing.
"No governing body in any sport has ever been able to discipline an athlete for the use of HGH.
"Major League Baseball understands that its policy must continue to evolve to keep pace with scientific development," said Manfred, adding that baseball was funding research to develop a urine test for HGH.
