Former Twin News: J.C. Romero Suspended

by BeefMaster on Jan 6, 2009 10:31 AM EST Comment 5 comments

In what could be MLB's answer to the Kevin & Pat Williams case, J.C. Romero has been suspended for 50 games for taking a supplement he believed was legal.

Phillies (and former Twins) reliever J.C. Romero has been suspended for 50 games for a violation of MLB's drug policy. However, this is not exactly a straightforward case - Romero purchased the supplement at a GNC, and at the time of his positive test, MLBPA had assured players that any over-the-counter supplement purchased in the US was acceptable. Romero also had it checked by two separate nutritionists, although he did not call the MLB drug hotline. After he was notified of the positive test, he quit taking all supplements, and another test on October 1 confirmed that the banned substance was out of his system during the Phillies' championship run.

It's likely that Romero will challenge the suspension in court, and it would not at all shock me to see a situation similar to what happened with the Vikings' Kevin and Pat Williams this year - they tested positive for substances in supplements they had been told were legal, and a judge prevented the league from imposing the suspensions until he could make a decision on the case.

Interesting note about Romero's appeal hearing: He was told that if he admitted guilt, he could have a 25-game suspension instead of 50.

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My favorite line...

Amaro Jr. declined to address specifics of Romero’s suspension….“… It was unfortunate that a substance was found in J.C.’s testing….”

It wasn’t unfortunate he took something, but rather that he was caught?

by GACTwinFan on Jan 6, 2009 3:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is a tough case

He took an off-the-shelf supplement that did not have the ingredient on the label. Before he took it, he asked two nutritionists and his team trainer if it was OK. They all said, “yes”. In addition, the players association said there were no off-the-shelf supplements containing banned substances in the US. So he thought he was OK. Only after he took it did the league warn players about it. His one fault was not calling the league hot line. But it’s unclear if they would have advised him not to take it. They didn’t know until September, and he took it in August.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Jan 6, 2009 4:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Redux

According to Rob Neyer’s blog, the label on the drug he took says: “Use of this drug may be banned by some athletic or government associations (including military).” It’s also labeled, “for hardcore users only” and it’s produced by the guy who provided all those substances to BALCO. Tons of red flags here.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Jan 6, 2009 5:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

One thing I had wrong

Not sure if it was in the ESPN article, but from what I saw in an article on SI.com, I don’t know that a lawsuit will happen – the MLBPA said it “regards the decision as final” even though it doesn’t agree with it.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Jan 6, 2009 6:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs