Suspended Philadelphia Phillies star pitcher, J.C. Romero has filed a lawsuit against the nutritional supplements makers and distributors, who according to him were responsible for his positive steroid test. The player got a 50-match suspension order last August.

The 27-page lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in New Jersey Superior Court in Camden County, held the product 6-OXO Extreme responsible for traces of androstenedione found in the pitcher’s urine on Aug. 26, 2008. The lawsuit also consisted of various other counts, including negligence, intentional misrepresentation and consumer fraud.

The four defendants named under it are GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Ergopharm and Proviant Technologies. Among which the latter two are owned and operated by Patrick Arnold, an Illinois-based chemist who at the moment is in federal prison for his role in the BALCO affair. Though, he did not give any counter statement regarding the lawsuit action.

Romero said that he purchased an over-the-counter supplement that was told would not cause him test positive. He also said that the issue had hurt him deeply and ruined his career, accomplishments and family. But, he wanted to start again while putting the issue on backburner and would also try to protect the interests of others, who rely on manufacturers and retailers to be honest about their products.

From New York Daily News:

Suspended Phillies reliever J.C. Romero is suing the makers and distributors of nutritional supplements that he says are responsible for his positive steroid test last August. The 27-page lawsuit, filed Monday in New Jersey Superior Court in Camden County, blames the product 6-OXO Extreme for traces of androstenedione found in the pitcher’s urine on Aug. 26, 2008. The numerous counts in the lawsuit include negligence, intentional misrepresentation and consumer fraud. The four defendants named are GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Ergopharm and Proviant Technologies.

Romero was found tested positive for androstenedione on Aug. 26, 2008 and received a 50-game ban which was not made public until January of this year. Despite of his suspension by MLB, the pitcher was allowed to train with the Phillies during spring training session and in pregame practices, but was not being paid for it.

Gary Wadler, a New York internist affiliated with the World Anti-Doping Agency, stated that Romero situation brought in limelight a well-known problem with the under-regulated supplement industry. He also said that they had made it clear that athletes were at great risk when they take supplements. They have little to gain and a lot to lose.

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Brian Cushing, Texans first-round draft pick, confirms to the press that he never used steroid. That is despite the rumors circulating the NFL arena. According to Coach Frank Bush, Cushing reminds him of Bill Romanowski, not because of any issue linked to Romanowski, but rather the strength, intensity and the way he plays in the field.

Coach Frank bush said that steroid issue is part of the package of Cushing even if the player passed every drug test given. According to Coach Frank, it is unfair to Brian to be linked to the issue of performance-enhancing drugs since he has never been tested positive in all the tests conducted.

From Chron.com:

It’s not right. Yes, public figures are subject to more discussion (translation: excessive criticism and ridicule) than your average Joe, but for a guy to never have tested positive for steroids yet always have his name associated with them seems a bit unfair.

I’m not saying we should pity the young man. Steroid rumors haven’t stopped him from getting close to living out his dream of playing in the NFL. And they won’t stop him from signing a $15-18 million contract this summer either.

“We vetted the process really thoroughly,” Texans general manager Rick Smith said. “We feel really good about who he is as a man and who he is as an athlete and a player, and we’re excited about adding him to our football team.”

According to Brian, he has been working with a trainer since high school and he eats meals as prescribed by his nutritionist. He also added that he will keep on proving people that they are wrong about him. He told the media that his intensity and his strength are products of good genes and hard work.

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Former Olympic sprinter, Marion Jones, talked about her experience on steroid in a lecture held in Wharton Sports Business Initiative series on race at the University of Pennsylvania. She told the public how steroids had destroyed everything she worked for, and how it changed her life.

Marion Jones was found guilty of lying to the federal officers on using prohibited drugs like the anabolic steroids. She was convicted and sentenced to be imprisonment for six months in Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. She confessed that her poor choices and reactions had ruined all her achievements. She was obliged to return all her medals, two gold and three bronze that she won in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Marion used to be part of the North Carolina’s women’s basketball team before she concentrated on her track career.

From Philadelphia Daily News:

The former Olympic sprinter, who pleaded guilty in October 2007 to lying to federal investigators about taking performance-enhancing substances, spoke for nearly 30 minutes about her career as one of the country’s first millionaire black female athletes.

Steroids were part of the reason she was imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, for 6 months. She was released in September.

While Jones didn’t touch on her experience in jail, she knows that she let down fans and supporters as a role model for up-and-coming female athletes.

Jones admitted that she disappointed and dismayed her fans and followers because she did not live up to the standards and expectation of a good role model. She also recalled how the Title IX legislation which was enacted 37 years ago had brought equal opportunities for her and to the rest of the female athletes.

Marion Jones promised to share her story in order to keep and live the opportunities that once she had.

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One baseball fan, Lucas Swineford requested hundreds of other baseball fanatics to protest against steroid. His urge to boycott the April 17 games is due to his dismay when New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez admitted to the public that he used to take steroids. Swineford get disappointed to the fact that steroid is still an on going issue in baseball. During an ESPN interview of Alex Rodriguez, claimed that he was pressured to use steroids to maintain his million-dollar baseball career.

Lucas Swineford, founder of the Baseball Fans Give Back, appealed to the fans of Major League Baseball to donate at least half of the MLB ticket price to charity, and spend three hours of volunteer work instead of watching a game on that date. Lucas said that what he did was not a negative move; it’s a protest against steroid. He just wanted to encourage everyone to devote at least a day doing humanitarian efforts.

From NJ.com:

Swineford, who works in the IT department at Yale University and now resides in Easton, Conn., said he created Baseball Fans Give Back because he was disgusted by Yankee All-Star Alex Rodriguez’s admission during an interview on ESPN that he once used steroids.

“As a big baseball fan - I’m a Mets fan – I was frustrated and disappointed with the steroids issue that’s been going on in baseball,” Swineford said.

Lucas Swineford chose April 17 in honor of the late Roberto Clemente of Pittsburg Pirates. Clemente died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972 when he was on his way to Nicaragua to bring help to the earthquake victims. Lucas said the he has always honored Roberto Clemente for his charitable works.

According to Lucas, bad athletes should not spoil the reputation of the whole group because athletes can serve as good influence to children.

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A Royal Marine aspirant, Matthew Dear, died days after he was seriously ill at Southend Hospital. His family said that Matthew was rushed to the hospital two weeks after they had a barbecue. The simple thought of food poisoning led to serious medical condition for Matthew.

Initially, his father, Mr. Chris Dear said that Mathew lost his vision and eventually his brain and kidney collapsed. The family blamed the incident from the pills he had taken days before the tragedy. These pills are now under the custody of the police for investigation. He wanted to bulk his body and to prepare himself for the upcoming selection of cadets for the Royal Marines.

Forensic experts had conducted some tests on the boy’s body to identify the pills that he had taken. Police, on the other hand, arrested three people who are believed to be the supplier of steroid pills. The three are all from Essex, a 17-year-old boy and the 21-year-old man are from Westcliff while the other 24-year-old man is from Leigh.

From Times Online:

Post-mortem tests will today be carried out on a 17-year-old body builder who is thought to have died after taking steroids to bulk himself up for selection into the Royal Marines.

Mr. Dear said that his son first fell ill two weeks ago after a barbecue and the family assumed that he was suffering from food poisoning. A week ago, however, he took a turn for the worse.

It is unlawful to use and to possess anabolic steroid without the written consent from the patient’s doctor. Anabolic steroids in all forms are regulated drugs due to a number of adverse effects it manifests. This substance improves protein synthesis in cells, thereby enhances the formation of muscular tissue and efficient recovery of muscles in times of injury.

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In a recent research, scientists at Amgen are testing a fully human monoclonal antibody named AMG 479, which can inhibit the activity of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2). This effect can in turn lead to reduce growth of pancreatic cancer cells, according to reports in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

In the in vitro study conducted by Beltram, a principal scientist in oncology research, and his colleagues, it was discovered that AMG 479, a fully human anti-IGF-1 monoclonal antibody could inhibit both IGF-1 and IGF-2 binding factors. It might also repress ligand-induced activation in some growth factors that led to decreased cellular viability.

The research team measured the effect of AMG 479 on pancreatic cancer cells in vivo and observed that this inhibition rate was approximately 80 percent inhibition of tumor growth and receptor expression.

“We know that insulin-like growth factors play a role in cancer development, particularly in mediating cell survival. This is the first drug that specifically targets the receptor for these growth factors without cross-reacting with the closely related insulin receptor,” said Beltran.

From Science Daily:

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, and less than 4 percent of the 200,000 patients diagnosed annually live more than five years. The only available clinical treatment is gemcitabine, but this has yet to show a survival benefit.

Scientists are testing a variety of experimental therapies to bring pancreatic cancer under control. At Amgen, Pedro J. Beltran, Ph.D., a principal scientist in oncology research, is experimenting with AMG 479, a fully human anti-IGF-1 monoclonal antibody.

“We know that insulin-like growth factors play a role in cancer development, particularly in mediating cell survival. This is the first drug that specifically targets the receptor for these growth factors without cross-reacting with the closely related insulin receptor,” said Beltran.

He also said that the observed data clearly showed that AMG 479 would be a clinical candidate for pancreatic cancer therapy, either alone or in combination with gemcitabine, the only available clinical treatment.

Beltran concluded with that researchers were still conduting tests of AMG 479 in nine separate phase II studies of various cancer types and more beneficial results were expected.

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Football could face elimination threat from Olympic if its chief bodies, FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA, failed to fulfill the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) “whereabouts” code.

The governing bodies said that they wanted to respect players’ privacy and Wada’s new code did not follow it. According to new code, athletes must make themselves available to testers for one hour a day, three months in advance and Wada wants football to join the fight against steroid abuse.

However, FIFA and UEFA asked Wada to review its position on the ‘whereabouts’ rule. The governing bodies wanted to draw attention towards the fundamental differences between an individual athlete, who trains on his own, and a team sport’s athlete, who is present at the stadium six days out of seven and thus easy to locate. Both of the bodies also want to substiute individual ‘whereabouts’ rule by collective location rules. Prior, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) had already signalled their opposition to the WADA’s new code of doping.

However, Wada general secretary David Howman said that the sport could be removed from the Olympics. He also added that there was a clause in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) charter that stated that- it falls in the IOC jurisdiction and not ours.

From BBC:

Football’s place in the Olympics could be under threat if its chief bodies do not comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) “whereabouts” code.

Wada wants football to join sports like athletics and provide players’ location for one hour each day of the year.

World football body, Fifa, and its European counterpart, Uefa, said they wanted to respect players’ privacy.

“The sport could be removed from the Olympics,” Wada general secretary David Howman told BBC 5 Live.

He added: “There is a clause in the IOC (International Olympic Committee) charter that states this – it falls in the IOC jurisdiction and not ours.”

However, Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who sits on Wada’s board, said that football’s world governing body had teamed up with other team sports, such as basketball, ice hockey and rugby union, to oppose the rules. He said that they were a little bit surprised that through certain declarations [Wada] said that no exceptions would be made.

“One of the key principles of efficient doping control is the surprise effect and the possibility to test an athlete without advance notice on a 365-day basis,” responses John Fahey, President of Wada.

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Glen Donald England just planned to lose weight until he met Brian Wainstein who got him hooked into a million-dollar steroid trafficking. In West Edmonton a surveillance that lasted 18 months and ended in October 10, 2006, that led to the seizure of England’s international drug business. Police nabbed him when they were able to gather enough proof that he had been manufacturing and distributing steroid tablets that was worth millions of dollars. Together with the Canada Border Services Agency they raided England’s apartment believed to be an underground laboratory for the steroids He now pleads guilty to steroid possession and trafficking.

From The Edmonton Sun:

Police found more than 200,000 steroid tablets, with a street value of between $400,000 to $600,000, 23.5 litres of steroid oils valued at $235,000, $50,000 in cash and packaging materials England used to distribute the illegal goods. There was also evidence found linking England to Irish steroid king Brian Wainstein, including itemized steroid orders on Wainstein’s website, names and addresses of customers, courier delivery receipts, phone records, money transfer receipts and computer text messages.

According to the agreed facts, between Feb. 7, 2006, and Oct. 30, 2006, England was in possession of 640,000 steroid tablets and 37.7 litres of steroid oil, valued at from $1.6 million to $2.3 million, that were sent by Wainstein.

Detective Ken Brander devised a modus operandi that got him in contact with Wainstein. They discovered a package containing the steroid tablets that had been sent by Wainstein. The tablets were replaced with sugar and Brander attached a note to the recipient wherein he left contact details saying if more stocks were needed he should be contacted. The police established contact with the steroid dealer that sent steroid ingredients believed to be valued at $2.5 million to $3.5 million.

Prosecution is asking that England be given 30 months of jail term while defence appeals that he serve 18 months in the community and be fined.

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Baseball player Roger Clemens is being advised to address his grievances towards the prosecutors and not towards Brian McNamee who had been his long time trainer. According to McNamee’s lawyers, the trainer shouldn’t be blamed for being coerced to reveal that he had injected Clemens’ with steroids to the investigators of Sen. George Mitchell, who later published a report that named several baseball players to be linked to steroids. This motion was filed at the Texas federal court in response to the Rusty Hardin’s appeal that the court presided by US District Judge Keith Ellison should re evaluate their dismissal of the slander lawsuit filed by Clemens against McNamee.

From The Daily News:

“The thrust of our response is that Clemens is trying to blame Brian for what he is angry at the government prosecutors for doing – that is, compelling Brian to talk to them and tell the truth,” said Richard Emery, one of McNamee’s attorneys. “That’s no basis for taking away Brian’s immunity. The prosecutors compelled him to talk and it was not Brian’s fault that they then made it public through the Mitchell Report. They (Clemens and his lawyers) are pointing their fingers at the wrong person.”

Hardin has argued in court filings that McNamee should not be protected with absolute immunity. Hardin pointed out that Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Parrella, who had led much of the BALCO prosecution, argued in the case of Tammy Thomas, the cyclist convicted of perjury last year, that the purpose of the government’s steroid probe was to nail distributors, not athletes or users. McNamee’s statements to Mitchell about Clemens’ alleged steroid use play no role in exposing and prosecuting drug distribution rings, Hardin argued.

In a counter argument, McNamee’s lawyers contend that it was not his intention to ruin the reputation of Clemens, but he was merely telling the truth that he had a hand at the baseball player’s steroid use.

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The Michigan Office of Racing Commissioner (ORC) has implemented ban on the use of anabolic setroids to race horses at any pari-mutuel track in the state. Based on the proposals made by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) and several other national horse racing associations, all horses would now be subjected to testing for the presence of anabolic steroids.

The prohibition rule has come into effect from the beginning of this month, but a grace period of 60-days till June 1, 2009 would be given to accused trainers. Only after the date, any test with the presence of anabolic steroids will be subjected to fine and suspension.

The Michigan ORC would follow the nationally accepted residue thresholds for the four recognized anabolic steroids, named Boldenone (Equipoise), Nandrolone, testosterone and metabolite of stanozolol (Winstrol), as suggested by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and ARCI. Besides these, existence of any other steroid is also strictly prohibited and the presence of more than one of these four banned drugs at any concentration is not permitted too.

Along with these prohibition rules, any sick or injured horse, being treated with anabolic steroids, would not be allowed to race at a Michigan pari-mutuel track until the horse got a clean chit for complete elimination of drug’s remains.

From Steroidology News:

Historically, trainers have given anabolic steroids to race horses for different reasons including increasing appetite and aggressiveness and promoting muscle development. However, recent events have caused the entire horse racing industry to review the use of steroids.

Based upon recommendations made by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) and a number of other national horse racing associations, steroid use is now deemed contrary to the best interests of race horses and horse racing. As such, beginning on April 1, 2009, the presence of anabolic steroids will be prohibited in all horses entered to race at any pari-mutuel track in Michigan. All horses will now be subject to testing for anabolic steroids.

The Michigan ORC will follow the nationally accepted residue thresholds for the four recognized anabolic steroids listed below as set forth by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI).

Earlier, trainers inject race horses with steroids because of various reasons, including increasing appetite, aggressiveness and muscle development. But, some recent events of steroid abuse formed the basis to review this earlier application policy of steroids in horse racing industry.

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