Washington Nationals' left-hander Gio Gonzalez's name was one of several included in an "explosive" Miami New Times' article by reporter Tim Elfrink published this morning which examines the connection between a group of major league players (and other professional athletes) with ties to Miami, Florida and a Miami-based company called, "Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic tucked into a two-story office building just a hard line drive's distance from the UM campus," that is believed to have been, "... selling performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone to anabolic steroids." The information in the article is based on, "Interviews with six customers and two former employees," who, "... corroborate the tale told by the patient files, the payment records, and the handwritten notebooks kept by the clinic's chief, 49-year-old Anthony Bosch."
' Read the entire Miami New Times' Article HERE.
Here's what Mr. Elfrink's article says about the Nationals' 21-game winning lefty, who was acquired by Washington in a December 2012 trade with the Oakland A's:
"There's also the curious case of Gio Gonzalez, the 27-year-old, Hialeah-native, left-handed hurler who won 21 games last year for the Washington Nationals. Gonzalez's name appears five times in Bosch's notebooks, including a specific note in the 2012 book reading, 'Order 1.c.1 with Zinc/MIC/... and Aminorip. For Gio and charge $1,000.' (Aminorip is a muscle-building protein.)
"Gonzalez's father, Max, also appears on Bosch's client lists and is often listed in conjunction with the pitcher. But reached by phone, the Hialeah resident insists his son has had no contact with Bosch.
"'My son works very, very hard, and he's as clean as apple pie,' the elder Gonzalez says. 'I went to Tony because I needed to lose weight. A friend recommended him, and he did great work for me. But that's it. He never met my son. Never. And if I knew he was doing these things with steroids, do you think I'd be dumb enough to go there?"
Several hours after the article was published online this morning, the Nats' 27-year-old starter released the following messages via his personal (verified) Twitter account @GioGonzalez47):
I've never used performance enhancing drugs of any kind and I never will ,I've never met or spoken with tony Bosch orused any substance
' Gio Gonzalez (@GioGonzalez47) January 29, 2013
Provided by him.anything said to the contrary is a lie.
' Gio Gonzalez (@GioGonzalez47) January 29, 2013
Major League Baseball released a statement on the article this morning which says they are conducting their own investigation into the report:
"We are always extremely disappointed to learn of potential links between players and the use of performance-enhancing substances. These developments, however, provide evidence of the comprehensive nature of our anti-drug efforts. Through our Department of Investigations, we have been actively involved in the issues in South Florida. It is also important to note that three of the players allegedly involved have already been disciplined under the Joint Drug Program...
"Vigilance remains the key toward protecting the integrity of our game. We have the best and most stringent drug testing policy in professional sports, we continue to work with our doctors and trainers to learn what they are seeing day-to-day and we educate our players about the game's unbending zero-tolerance approach. We remain fully committed to following all leads and seeking the appropriate outcomes for all those who use, purchase and are involved in the distribution of banned substances, which have no place in our game.
"We are in the midst of an active investigation and are gathering and reviewing information. We will refrain from further comment until this process is complete."
There is no other information available at the moment, and neither the Nationals or Gonzalez have released any other statements on the report. More info when it is available.
' Here are other reports on the story published this afternoon:
' "Report: Gio linked to PED clinic" - Chase Hughes, NatsInsider.com
' "Nationals Pastime: Linked to alleged PED supplier, Gio Gonzalez denies any usage" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
' "DEVELOPING: Gio Gonzalez among several big-name players linked to Miami drug clinic in report" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
' "Report: Gio Gonzalez linked to Miami clinic that supplied performance-enhancing drugs (updated)" - James Wagner, Washington Post
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