If steroids, HGH and other performance enhancers were totally unregulated, what would athletes look like?
Posted on 06/30/2010 8:19:37 PM PDT by truthandlife
Tiger Woods has been interviewed by federal authorities investigating a Canadian doctor accused of distributing human growth hormone, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation of Dr. Anthony Galea is ongoing.
Woods previously acknowledged that he's been treated by the Toronto-based doctor but insisted that he did not receive any performance-enhancing drugs.
"Tiger willingly spoke to the authorities and cooperated fully," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said in an e-mail. "It was confirmed that because he did nothing illegal, he is not the subject of any criminal investigation. Because there is an ongoing investigation involving others, there will be no further comment."
The New York Times first reported Woods' interview, citing two unidentified people.
Barbara Burns, a spokeswoman for U.S. District Attorney William Hochul, declined comment.
The New York Mets' Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are among athletes who have said they've been contacted by federal investigators about Galea, who denies any wrongdoing.
In April, the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez met with three officials from Major League Baseball and told them he didn't receive performance-enhancing drugs from Galea.
Galea, who is not authorized to work in the United States, is accused of repeatedly entering the country to treat professional athletes from Major League Baseball, the NFL and Professional Golfers' Association.
No athletes are identified by name in the government's criminal complaint or supporting affidavit, which describes the 50-year-old Galea traveling to meet with professional athletes in New York City, Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and other U.S. cities from July through September of last year.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
...now that the PGA tests for drugs, Tiger is going to have a tough time regaining his old dominance.
Nothing like making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Why, no, Mr. Tiger’s agent, Tiger would never ever, break the law, would he? Why, his reputation is clean as a whistle!
There are some new tests for HGH but they are only using them in minor sports leagues right not to test them. I think he could still get around the HGH part but with added scrutiny on himself it might be tough to take anything.
How many golf broadcasters did Tiger bend over? The way they fawn and gush over this sociopath I figure he must have bedded more than a few of them.
I am not a sports fan, but I’m assuming that HGH is considered a performance enhancing substance, and as such, prohibited for athletes, but would not be illegal for the average person, is that correct?
There isn't a US professional sport that has adopted a testing protocol of hGH. I do remember reading several months ago that the World Anti-Doping Agency had developed a test, and it was in clinical trials. I imagine that those trials are over now, but I'm not sure.
In any event, I read just a few weeks that there still aren't any US professional sports testing for hGH, golf included. Of course, without a player's union, the PGA Tour could adopt such a testing regimen immediately, if they so desired.
I am sure the PGA will give him an exemption.
Just like steroids, so long as you have a physician's prescription, it's fine. However there are some penalties (that are rarely enforced), for obtaining such drugs without a prescription, and the penalties for such drugs are MUCH less than you'd find for schedule III drugs. Of course, if you're distributing them, that's an entirely different circumstance, as Tiger's good doctor can attest, I'm sure.
A U.S. physician who prescribed HGH for anything other than a legitimate endocrine disorder would be vulnerable. It would likely be a matter handled by state medical boards.
Now I’m no expert on steroids or HGH but from what I have read the doctors are always one or two steps ahead of the testers. The best testers look for masking drugs but the masking drugs can be so varied and some look perfectly legal it is hard to catch if the user has the money. One athlete that was caught, the sport he was in evades me now, showed an elevated level of hormones but no trace of HGH.
I’m just curious, when did HGH go to prescription only. I remember like 10 years ago Art Bell was hawking it on his radio show-—is that the same thing?
I think that's exactly right, unless this was only part of a wider criminal conspiracy - money laundering, tax evasion and the like.
Galea is in hot water because he's a Canadian doc, with no privileges in the US and had allegedly transported substantial quantities across the border. He's in about as much trouble as you can be in for distributing a hormone without a prescription.
According to the FDA, and the penalties chapter of the FDCA (The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act), "whoever knowingly distributes or possesses with intent to distribute human growth hormone for any use in humans other than the treatment of a disease or other recognized medical condition where such use has been authorized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under Section 505, is guilty of an offense punishable by not more than five years in prison." This section also permits courts to impose fines of up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for an organization as well as forfeiture of property used in or derived in violation of the hGH law.
If steroids, HGH and other performance enhancers were totally unregulated, what would athletes look like?
genuine HGH is a controlled substance, it is a steroid like substancce
it needs to be refirgerated in it’s active form
what Art Bell sold was the phony stuff that people claim causes the body to make HGH. They dont work.
Yes TiHgHer is guilty as charged, but the PGA should fry for this. They built a whole new genre of golf course to take advantage of Tiger & I'm sure they were aware of what they were dealing with from the get go.
...and his wife is divorcing him with a 750 mil take plus preventing him from bringing his skanks around the children. LOL
Can they test effectively for HGH?
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