MIAMI, (Reuters) – The founder of the Miami anti-aging clinic suspected of supplying performance enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players has agreed to cooperate with investigators, according to U.S. media reports yesterday.
Any evidence he provides could determine whether or not any MLB players are charged with drug offenses and possibly suspended. The media reports have stated more than a dozen players could be implicated, making it one of the biggest doping scandals in the history of American professional sports.
Various U.S. news media outlets, led by the sports network ESPN on Tuesday night, cited unidentified sources saying Anthony Bosch, the founder of the now defunct Biogenesis of America clinic, would co-operate with the MLB’s investigation.
MLB declined to comment on the media reports and Reuters was unable to independently confirm if Bosch had agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
But Bosch’s lawyer, Susy Ribero-Ayala, said: “There are pending investigations and litigation, so we cannot comment at this time.”
Bosch has repeatedly denied accusations he administered banned drugs to players and had declined to cooperate with the MLB investigation that was launched after the Miami New Times published the allegations and named some of the sport’s biggest players as his customers. In March, MLB filed a lawsuit against Bosch in an attempt to get him to cooperate. The media reports suggested the lawsuit would be dropped if he provided evidence, though this could not be confirmed.
Charles Strouse, the editor of the Miami New Times, said his publication had been unable to confirm whether Bosch had agreed to speak with the MLB, but said he would welcome such a development. “It’s been months and we felt there was enough evidence from the start,” he said.
The players who were identified have all denied any wrongdoing.
