Rafael Palmeiro Denies Steroid Use in Face
of Government's Reform Committee Wrapping
up its Pro
Congressional Committee investigating Major League
Baseball players use of illegal steroids, denied
that he used steroids in a statement released
by the suspended Oriole's player Wednesday."All
my accomplishments are now tainted, and many people
have been hurt. I deeply regret the pain I have
caused my family, my teammates, my fans and the
game of baseball. I am sorry for the distraction
that I have caused to the Orioles clubhouse and
the League," said Palmeiro.Stanozolol, a
banned substance, was found inPalmeiro's system
in May. In statement Palmerio was quoted as saying,
"Although I do not know how this substance
came into my body, it is possible that a shot
of vitamin B12 I took sometime in April might
have been the cause.
"Under questioning by the Major League Player's
AssociationPalmeiro revealed the details of howhe
got the possibly tainted B12 and then had to testify
about the facts to the Congressional Committee
under oath.Since his suspension by Major League
Baseball on August 1, 2005, Palmeiro has said
that his side of the story would be made public.With
the Committee likely now in the final phases of
its work, Palmeiro agreed to provide some of the
detail concerning the events leading up to hissuspension
and the Congressional inquiry. The drug test for
whichPalmeiro was suspended by Major League Baseball
was administered on May 4, 2005 - seven weeks
afterhe testified before Congress.
Every other
item that might be to blame for Palmeiro's failed
test - from vitamins to protein drinks -- was
tested, and no steroids were found. The only item
that could not be tested -- and is therefore suspect
- was a vial of liquid, injectable vitamin B-12
whichhe took in the middle of April 2005. The
B-12 was provided toPalmeiro by a teammate; it
was labeled as B- 12; andhis lawyers said that
hehas always been convinced that his teammate
absolutely believed it to be B-12. Palmeiro was
required to name that player by the Major League
Baseball Players Association during his arbitration
hearing. Palmeiro's lawyers accused the media
of publishing false information, inferring that
it caused much of the friction and doubt by the
MLB and Congress.
"Because the Congressional Committee's investigation
was on- going over the last three months, the
information that has circulated in public - largely
via the media - has been based almost entirely
on inappropriate leaks and uninformed speculation.
As a result, much of what has been said or written
about Rafael - what he did and/or said - has been
either greatly mischaracterized or just plain
inaccurate."When he was told back on May
4, 2005 that he would have to submit to a random
drug test under Major League Baseball's drug policy,Palmeiro
said hehad no concerns about steroids.
He immediately
asked to be retested, because he believed that
the test result must have been mistaken. He was
tested one week later and found to have no banned
substances in his body.Nevertheless, the Commissioner
of Major League Baseball on June 10, 2005 suspendedPalmeiro
for 10 days, a decision that ledhim immediately
to file a grievance with Major League Baseball's
Health Policy Committee (HPAC). HPAC found thatPalmeiro
had a reasonable basis to challenge the results
of the drug test and, on June 16, an arbitration
panel conducted a hearing.
Later, on July 14,
that panel heard arguments in the arbitration
case. At the June 16th hearing,Palmerio made it
clear that he had never knowingly taken steroids
and did not know how the banned substance entered
his body. He believed that contamination of the
B-12 was simply the most likely explanation.At
the conclusion of the Baseball arbitration process,
on August 1, 2005,Palmeiro was suspended because
he could not conclusively prove that the steroid
entered his system through the B-12. Nevertheless,
the arbitration panel hearinghis case declared
that
"The Panel considers it important to point
out that our decision does not equate to a finding
or belief that Rafael Palmeiro - whose testimony
in many respects is quite compelling - was untruthful
in his testimony before this panel or any other
body."Palmeiro's lawyers maintain that Dr.
Gary Green's testimony in the arbitration hearingwas
incorrect or ill-informed at almost every point.The
basis of their view was on the testimony for the
defense by Dr. Pinedo's letter that states, "many
people in Latin America believe that "B-
12 is a source of energy and aids in strengthening
muscles." B-12 is "widely used among
athletes, particularly baseball players"
throughout Latin America.
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