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Wrestlers Tied To Steroid Ring
Topic Started: Mar 19 2007, 04:34 PM (85 Views)
Stinger
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Sports Illustrated - SI.com

Since last summer Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim have been investigating an alleged illegal steroid distribution network that has implicated numerous pro athletes. On Feb. 27 the two SI writers accompanied federal and state drug enforcement agents on a raid of a Jupiter, Fla., anti-aging clinic that investigators allege conspired to fraudulently prescribe steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs over the Internet.

SI.com: What's the latest?

Llosa/Wertheim: Investigators in Albany and Orlando continue to go through the material from last month's seizures. This means everything from testing drugs found in desk drawers to cross-referencing names that, we're told, include athletes of all levels.

SI.com: Any sense when these names will be made public?

Llosa/Wertheim: No. Obviously the "big names" are what have made this investigation a national concern. And, in all candor, it's the main reason news organizations -- including Sports Illustrated -- are pursuing the story. But investigators insist that athletes are really ancillary to their investigation. They're much more interested in breaking up the distribution pipeline which, they allege, is a marriage of fraudulent anti-aging clinics, complicit compounding pharmacies and doctors who rubber-stamp prescriptions for human growth hormone (HGH), testosterone, steroids, etc., often without examining the patients.

For example, David Wilbirt, an Arizona doctor, was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency from 2001 to 2005 for allegedly writing 3,879 prescriptions between November 2004 and April 2005, all for "patients" who had requested drugs over the Internet. Though that was two years ago, his name has surfaced several times in the official documents we reviewed from the "Operation Netroids" investigation.

SI.com: Do investigators believe any of Wilbirt's "patients" were athletes?

Llosa/Wertheim: Yes. We'd already seen his name come up in conjunction with Kurt Angle, a 1996 Olympic gold-medal-winning freestyle wrestler and now a star professional wrestler who allegedly received two prescriptions for trenbolone and one for nandrolone between October 2004 and February '05. It turns out Angle isn't the only pro wrestler alleged to have received prescriptions from Wilbirt. According to the official documents we reviewed, Wilbirt was billed for HCG and the steroid stanozolol that were sent to WWE star Eddie Guerrero in early 2005. (Guerrero died on Nov. 13, 2005, in a Minneapolis hotel room due to what a coroner later ruled as heart disease, complicated by an enlarged heart resulting from a history of anabolic steroid use.) Wilbirt also allegedly issued prescriptions for the steroids nandrolone and stanozolol to Oscar Gutierrez, whose stage name is Rey Mysterio. (Through the WWE, Gutierrez declined comment.)

When reached at his home Wilbirt spoke with us briefly, asserting, "I'm not even practicing medicine now, so... I don't remember doing half the stuff you're talking about." (The Arizona Medical Board confirms that his license is currently suspended.) Asked specifically about the professional wrestlers, Wilbirt remarked: "I'll tell you one thing and then this conversation is going to end. They had done blood work and had laboratory work done and they had come to see me." Wilbirt obviously remains a "person of interest" for the investigators.

In total, there were 11 professional wrestlers listed in the documents that we saw. Some of these wrestlers are working as independents; some are out of the business entirely; others are first-tier stars. Consider Randy Orton, who allegedly received eight prescriptions for six different drugs -- stanozolol, nandrolone, anastrozole, Clomiphene citrate, oxandrolone and testosterone -- between March 2004 and August 2004. (Through the WWE, Orton declined comment.) Interestingly, according to the documents, Orton's prescriptions came from the same two doctors whose names appeared on the prescriptions in major league outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.'s file.

SI.com: Most of the athletes named in your previous stories were allegedly receiving human growth hormone. It sounds as though the professional wrestlers were allegedly mostly receiving steroids.

Llosa/Wertheim: Right. At some level this stands to reason: The skill-set required for pro wrestling is obviously different from that of most other competitive sports. According to the documents two prominent wrestlers, Adam Copeland, a.k.a. Edge, and Shane Helms, a.k.a. The Hurricane, received HGH. (Through the WWE, Copeland and Helms didn't respond to a request for comment.) But virtually all the others allegedly received a wide variety of anabolic steroids. In each case these were supplied by Applied, the Mobile, Ala., compounding pharmacy that was raided last fall.

SI.com: Does the WWE have a drug policy?

Llosa/Wertheim: Gary Davis, a WWE spokesman, pointed us to a Talent Wellness Program instituted in February 2006. As to whether anabolic steroids and HGH are banned, Davis sent us an email quoting the policy: "The WWE policy prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician. For purposes of WWE's policy, prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose."

Citing privacy issues, Davis declined to say whether WWE wrestlers have tested positive for banned substances since the policy was implemented.
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Q-BZ

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This could be potentially another shitstorm like 10 years ago with Hogan and all the rest of that. Possibly even worse. And it obviously isn't confined to pro wrestling.

I can't say any of that would really surprise me if it ended up being true, but honestly: Who knows?

I think this is just getting started, though. There's a much larger iceburg hiding underneath this water.




Quote:
 
Gary Davis, a WWE spokesman, pointed us to a Talent Wellness Program instituted in February 2006.


Notice that all the of the wrestlers named cover a time period before this date?

Quote:
 
As to whether anabolic steroids and HGH are banned, Davis sent us an email quoting the policy: "The WWE policy prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician. For purposes of WWE's policy, prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose."


This is a joke with an obvious loop hole: What kind of medical conditions would anyone EVER need these kinds of drugs for? I had a lower back sprain from hell two weeks ago and I was put on some low level Predisone, which is technically a steroid, but certainly nothing like what's being talked about here.

Dare I even ask what the WWE's policy was before this? Probably none, really.
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Snowman
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^^The ONLY instance where I think a steroid could be ok to use is recovering after chemo/cancer therapy. I.E. Lance Armstrong. If it helps get your body back to what it needs to be, then I think it is ok....however, in this case....there is no excuse.
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Q-BZ

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Snowman
Mar 19 2007, 09:24 PM
^^The ONLY instance where I think a steroid could be ok to use is recovering after chemo/cancer therapy.  I.E. Lance Armstrong.  If it helps get your body back to what it needs to be, then I think it is ok....however, in this case....there is no excuse.

Yep.


EDIT:

As expected, this is blowing up fast and spreading like wildfire:


Quote:
 
Numerous media outlets have picked up on the Sports Illustrated story that broke last night which links eleven professional wrestlers to an on-going steroid investigation. Some of the outlets include The Associated Press, ESPN, AFP, and many others. The Associated Press published the following article early this morning:


Report: Pro wrestlers linked to steroids

By The Associated Press Tue Mar 20, 12:05 AM ET

Eleven professional wrestlers, including the WWE's Randy Orton, have joined the list of athletes linked to a nationwide steroids investigation.

SI.com reported Monday that Orton allegedly received eight prescriptions for six different drugs — including stanozolol, nandrolone and testosterone — between March 2004 and August 2004. According to the documents SI.com reviewed, two doctors whose names also appear in Gary Matthews Jr.'s file, wrote prescriptions for Orton.

Orton, through the WWE, declined comment, SI.com said.

In its review of documents, SI.com reported it found Adam Copeland, a.k.a. Edge, and Shane Helms, a.k.a. The Hurricane, received HGH from Applied Pharmacy in Mobile, Ala., one of the pharmacies raided in the investigation led by Albany, N.Y., District Attorney David Soares.

Through the WWE, Copeland and Helms didn't respond to a request for comment, SI.com said.

WWE spokesman Gary Davis told SI.com that WWE policy prohibits performance-enhancing drugs but would not say whether any wrestlers have tested positive since the policy was enacted.

A statement release Monday night by WWE said the allegations reported by SI.com occurred before the organization implemented its "Talent Wellness Program," which deems "prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose."

Also linked to the scandal, in various reports, are baseball's Jose Canseco, John Rocker, Jerry Hairston Jr. and David Bell, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield,
Pittsburgh Steelers doctor Richard Rydze, 1996 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle and bodybuilder Victor Martinez.

Monday, SI.com also reported Arizona doctor David Wilbirt's name has come up in multiple files, including Angle, Oscar Gutierrez (stage name Rey Mysterio) and former WWE star Eddie Guerrero, who died in 2005.

Through the WWE, Gutierrez declined comment to SI.com about the report that Wilbirt had prescribed him nandrolone and stanozolol.

Wilbirt told SI.com he's not practicing medicine now.

"I'll tell you one thing and then this conversation is going to end," Wilbirt told SI.com when asked about the professional wrestlers. "They had done blood work and had laboratory work done and they had come to see me."


Credit - Yahoo.com


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Chad Matthews
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I thought that was interesting that ESPN picked it up...

I must say...I don't see a lot of validity to the "steroid" use going on here. Guys like Edge and Orton are simply cut...I would imagine that they used steroids to treat injuries, which is allowed according to the WWE Wellness Policy.
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Snowman
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^^What do yopu think keeps them cut?

You cannot be 230 lbs of muscle and pure rip without help. By being 230 lbs of muscle you will also put on water weight....
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Chad Matthews
CMV1
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You'd call Edge or Orton "Pure rip"?
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Snowman
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yup, and Nitro....

Brock and Lashley are bulk/rip.....anyone like benoit, edge, orton, nitro, etc...that's pure rip. when they have a perfect 6 pack and perfect build everyday of the year....there is a reason outside of natural.
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Chad Matthews
CMV1
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Edge doesn't have that, though...

I can see Orton...Mysterio...Nitro...Benoit...

But Edge? He's kind of just there...
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Snowman
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Fox picked it up now...

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/65504...HPHCP>1=9232


also...

PWInsider is reporting that numerous Wellness Tests were given backstage by WWE at the site of today's ECW/Smackdown TV tapings in Cleveland, Ohio. According to one source, over two dozen WWE performers were given urine tests this afternoon. There is no way to know if the testing was planned ahead of time before the story by Sports Illustrated broke yesterday since WWE doesn't give talent notice ahead of time about the tests. However, given the media attention the story has brought to the company in the last two days, it is highly conceivable that the company went forth with tests as a result of the story.
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Stinger
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I bet we see a slew of suspensions after WrestleMania.

They need to change that policy we're the suspended can still appear on television though.
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Snowman
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EDGE'S RESPONSE

Dear Blogees (did I just create a word?)

If you are reading this blog and it sees the light of day, than that means that an article has been written by a Sports Illustrated writer that states I received HGH from a pharmacy in 2003. So, I'll cut right to the chase like I always do. It's true. However, it's not exactly breaking, earth shattering news. It's actually old news. I admitted to this on national television in Canada in 2004 on Off The Record. When host Michael Lansberg asked me if I'd ever taken steroids, without consulting me before the show, I was perturbed, but answered without hesitation, "Yes, I have."

In hindsight, I'm glad he asked the question. It got it out in the open and anyone who follows my career or supports me already knows this information about me. I won't try to defend my actions. I took them when coming back from my spinal fusion neck surgery when I was told by doctors that it would help the bones grow back around the screws and plate that were now inserted in my neck. I'm not glorifying. I'm not condoning. Just telling you why I decided to take them. I took blood tests, consulted doctors, read up, studied them, got prescriptions, and decided to do it. That's pretty much it folks, but I wanted you to get my response straight from me and not through the words of another write. Now as I'm sure most you can tell, I don't take steroids and haven't in a very long time, long before the WWE drug testing wellness policy was implemented. Hell, I barely see the inside of a gym anymore, let alone take performance enhancing substances!

So, in closing, to the columnist (not the Sports Illustrated columnist, but actually another one) who said a "roided up thing called Edge" was at the NHL ALL Star Game a few weeks ago, in 2003, this may have been true. Now, not in the least, as my random urine tests, which have always been negative will attest. I guess I'll take the fact that he thought I was as somewhat of a compliment. To the fact that I've been lucky enough to have been gifted with a 6 foot 5, 240lb body naturally. And finally made it to the top of my industry last year on my own, clean as a whistle. To those, like that columnist and any other naysayers that will hold my past against me? I've made mistakes. Will do so again in the future I'm sure. But I won't hide from them. If you're reading this, you know that's not my style.

Until next time, from everybody's favorite, clean urine,
Edgemiester!
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Q-BZ

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^^ Pretty straightforward, but this whole thing is a mess.
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Snowman
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If he is being honest, then I can accept him using it for that...That's a harsh surgery, and considering wrestling is his life blood, one time is ok. However, Orton only had shoulder surgery...so he has no excuse. Rey did it to get bigger, it's as simple as that.
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