Manny Ramirez Suspension Breakdown, HCG, DHEA

The Los Angeles Times has the complete breakdown of the Manny Ramirez suspension. Ramirez was ultimately suspended for a Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) prescription found after a spring training drug test revealed elevated levels of testosterone.

Elevated testosterone levels are discovered through a testosterone-epitestosterone (T:E) ratio test. A normal T:E ratio is 1:1. According to the Times, Ramirez’s was at least 4:1.

Ramirez had intended to appeal a potential suspension for elevated testosterone by arguing that the spike in his T:E ratio was caused by Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). DHEA is an over-the-counter testosterone booster banned by the Olympics and other professional sports leagues, but still legal in the United States and not banned by Major League Baseball.

According to the Times the following sequence of events led to Ramirez’s suspension.

• During a routine spring training drug test, Ramirez’s sample was "flagged for having an unusually elevated synthetic testosterone level."
• Ramirez’s representatives were "expected" to appeal any suspension on the basis of an inflated T:E ratio by arguing that Ramirez had used DHEA.
• During the ensuing investigation, MLB found evidence that Ramirez had been prescribed HCG without a "therapeutic use" exemption.
• MLB moved to suspend Ramirez on the basis of the HCG prescription and Ramirez withdrew his appeal.

According to Professor Christiane Ayotte, director of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited lab responsible for Ramirez’s test, DHEA can be distinguished from other sources of testosterone.

One of the three sources with information about the test results said baseball had three "powerful analytic foundations" to say the positive drug test was not caused by DHEA.

First, scientists have testified in other doping cases that DHEA does not raise an average person's T-E ratio (1:1) to more than 4:1, where Ramirez's was, the source said. Second, MLB could produce the player's urine sample showing how much manufactured DHEA was in his system. Finally, the WADA lab conducts a Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) test on DHEA that identifies the level of the substance and whether it was naturally occurring or manufactured.

"We can show the difference, with DHEA [and] testosterone . . . the CIR tells us if it's natural or doping," Ayotte said, again speaking generally about her lab's procedures. "There's no miracle in nature."

Even if previous DHEA use boosted natural testosterone production after the substance had left the system, Ayotte said the CIR can establish if synthetic testosterone caused a significant T-E ratio spike.

So not only can the lab determine if DHEA is present, but MLB would have known all along if Ramirez’s had used DHEA even though it is not banned.

The lab report would include whether the individual tested positive for DHEA even though Ayotte added, "We know DHEA is not on baseball's prohibited list of substances."

Sources

• HCG not found in Manny Ramirez drug testLA Times
• Sources: Ramirez used fertility drugESPN

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• Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games for HCG, Investigation by MLB, Artificial Testosterone
• Jay Gibbons Received Steroids and HGH from Signature Pharmacy Between 2003 to 2005

A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez Released, MLB Investigating

Selena Roberts’ much hyped book, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, was released May 4. The New York Times had already reported that Major League Baseball began investigating Rodriguez shortly after meeting with MLB officials on March 1. According to the Times, MLB "heightened" its investigation when learning that allegations in the book contradicted what Rodriguez had told them. Roberts said she was contacted by MLB as part of their investigation but declined to cooperate.

"I said that as a journalist, I cover MLB, and cooperating with them on this would be a conflict of interest, and he said that he understood the position that I am in."

These are the claims that likely have drawn the attention of MLB.

• An unnamed former teammate said Rodriguez began using steroids in high school
• Rodriguez’s teammates noticed side-effects of steroid use, specifically rapid weight gain and Gynecomastia, before the 2005 season with the Yankees
• A unnamed MLB player witnessed Rodriguez and former Yankee, Kevin Brown, with HGH at Yankee Stadium
• Banned trainer, Angel Presinal, may have been involved with Rodriguez’s use of PED’s

Rodriguez has refused to comment thus far, as has commissioner, Bud Selig. Some of those associated with Rodriguez in high school have come to his defense however. Doug Mientkiewicz, who played with Rodriguez in high school, is certain Rodriguez was clean.

"From my perspective, it would be 99.9% impossible for us not to know,"

"You're basically accusing every kid that's gone through puberty that they're on steroids too, huh? He gained a couple of inches height-wise too, if I remember right… I knew what he looked like in ninth grade. He was skinny. Who isn't in ninth grade? He was very dedicated back then, he worked harder than anyone else."

Former coach, Rich Hoffman, told the Associated Press that he too doesn’t believe Rodriguez used in high school.

"What would be alarming is if somebody didn't work and got a lot bigger. But the fact is, he was the hardest-working guy around. No reason to be alarmed. I was in the weight room, I was in the classroom, I was in the field every day that he was there. And the work ethic was definitely there."

Roberts acknowledged that some of her information was circumstantial, but defended her assertions from the book.

"I've talked to players who say he was using in high school, but if you want to discard that, you look at the physical evidence," she told the AP. "You look at a player who by his own coach's account was unrecognizable his junior year because his body had changed so much. Scouts didn't recognize him. In his sophomore year he could barely bench press 100 pounds. By his junior year, he was bench pressing 300 pounds."

Sources

• Baseball Said to Be Inquiring About Rodriguez Drug UseNew York Times
• Doug Mientkiewicz never saw Alex Rodriguez use steroids in high schoolLA Times
• A-Rod won't discuss latest on bookESPN
• Author speaks about A-RodESPN

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• Alex Rodriguez Steroids Allegations in New Book, New York Yankees, High School
• Alex Rodriguez Admits Using Performance Enhancing Drugs from 2001 to 2003

Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games for HCG, Investigation by MLB, Artificial Testosterone

Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball under its Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. According to ESPN, Ramirez was suspended for using Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) after high levels of testosterone detected during a Spring Training drug test triggered an investigation. HCG is a fertility drug often used by athletes between cycles of steroids and has been banned by MLB since 2008.

Ramirez's case was set off when a test in spring training revealed he had elevated levels of testosterone in his body. MLB followed up with a more comprehensive test that confirmed the testosterone had to come from an artificial source, the sources said.

While investigating, MLB obtained documents that indicated Ramirez's use of hCG, and it was those documents that formally were used to hand down the 50-game suspension. Baseball decided to suspend Ramirez for only hCG because, in the end, he would have been suspended for just the 50 games either way. There was a chance Ramirez could have proved that the testosterone did not come from a banned substance, the MLB source said.

According to Mark Fainaru-Wada and TJ Quinn, the testosterone found by MLB was artificial though Ramirez was suspended for HCG because MLB had documentation to support its case for the fertility drug while a suspension for elevated testosterone levels could have been more easily be challenged by Ramirez.

Testing by Major League Baseball showed that Ramirez had testosterone in his body that was not natural and came from an artificial source, two people with knowledge of the case told ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. The sources said that in addition to the artificial testosterone, Ramirez was identified as using the female fertility drug human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG.

The sources said Ramirez was suspended for using hCG because baseball had documentation to prove his use of the drug. A Major League Baseball source said Ramirez's representatives indicated they would fight a suspension for using artificial testosterone.

There are very few legitimate uses for HCG in men. It’s typically used in conjunction with anabolic steroids, though not at the same time. It helps stimulate the natural production of testosterone after a cycle of steroids. It’s no secret that players have used HCG as part of performance enhancing drug regimens. MLB players Jay Gibbons and David Bell have previously been linked to HCG during the Albany D.A. led investigation into Anti-Aging clinics and online pharmacies. But according to one of the investigators in that case, its use is much more common than previously reported.

Mark Haskins, formerly an investigator for the New York State Department of Health, said places such as the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center routinely sent out hCG along with testosterone and Winstrol (stanozolol).

"I spent four years investigating this stuff, and 90 percent of the orders contained hCG," he said.

Ramirez issued a statement.

Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.

Sources

• Sources: Ramirez used fertility drugESPN
• First Gibbons and Bell, now MannyESPN
• Dodgers' Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games after failing drug testLA Times

Related Content
• John Rocker and David Bell Linked to Applied Pharmacy
• Jay Gibbons Received Steroids and HGH from Signature Pharmacy Between 2003 to 2005

JC Romero Sues Supplement Maker After Suspension

JC Romero has filed a lawsuit against Ergopharm, Inc. and Proviant Technologies, the manufacturer and distributor of 6-OXO Extreme, the supplement that Romero claims caused him to test positive for androstenedione (or a derivative) on August 26 2008. Romero appealed his suspension but Major League Baseball ruled Romero "negligent" and his suspension was upheld.

Romero’s civil suit states that employees from The Vitamin Shoppe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and a GNC in Fairhope, Alabama assured Romero that 6-OXO Extreme would not cause a positive test. Romero reportedly also spoke with a nutritionist, though he never contacted MLB. The supplement does not list andro as one of its ingredients.

The suit cites the following damages.

• Loss of past income and earning capacity in an amount to be proven at trail.
• Lost of future income and earning capacity.
• Past and future pain, suffering and humiliation.
• Loss of enjoyment of life, past and future.

Romero spoke out in a telephone interview with MLB.com.

"I think it's the right thing to do, not only for myself, but for the rest of the athletes… I think the manufacturer has a lot of culpability in this case. It's the reason why I'm suspended in the first place. "

"I don't want this to happen again to anybody else. I think that's the most important thing. We're trying to do the right thing for the game of baseball. At the same time, this is a bigger issue than just trying to clean up the game of baseball. We've got situations where certain manufactures are making products that have some tainted ingredients in it, and some ingredients that are banned. That results in a tainted supplement. I don't think that's right. If you do something wrong, you've got to pay for it."

Ergopharm is run by Patrick Arnold, the chemist best known for creating androstenedione and BALCO’s now infamous undetectable steroid, The Clear. Arnold issued a statement in response to Romero's lawsuit.

"In a time of well documented steroid scandals, increased scrutiny of athletes, allegations of contaminated supplements and improved drug testing protocols… If an athlete chooses to ignore an explicit warning on the label of a dietary supplement product, fails to conduct reasonable inquiry, and thereafter the athlete tests positive for a banned substance, the athlete should take responsibility for their actions. If he refuses to do so, and attempts to blame others, his claims should be properly rejected both within the legal system and in the court of public opinion."

Romero’s lawyer, David Cornwell responded to Arnold in an email to the Associated Press.

"One should consider the source and the fact that the statement fails to address the presence of androstenedione, a controlled substance, in 6-OXO EXTREME. In my opinion, after injury and age, companies like Proviant may be the next greatest threat to the careers of athletes who use nutritional supplements."

6-OXO Extreme has been removed from both GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe’s websites.

Sources

• Suspended Phillie Romero files suitESPN
• Suspended Phillies reliever J.C. Romero suing supplement makers over positive steroid testNY Daily News
• Romero files suit over suspensionMLB.com

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• JC Romero Suspended 50 Games for Failed PED Test, MLB Rules "Negligence"
• Sergio Mitre Suspended 50 Games for Androstenedione Found in Legal Supplement