Undercover documentary links Howard, Zimmerman to doping
A trio of major leaguers have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs following an undercover report from Al Jazeera.
Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals were named in the report, while Taylor Teagarden is seen discussing his involvement in taking PEDs.
As part of the investigation, British hurdler Liam Collins went undercover in an attempt to expose PED use in sports. He told medical professionals that he is looking to use PEDs as a last-ditch effort to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is the centerpiece of the report.
"I used it last year, I was scared to be honest with you," Teagarden told Collins on camera at the house of pharmacist Charlie Sly regarding the hormone supplement Delta 2. "I took it for like two weeks, and I had a test four weeks after my last administration of it. Nothing happened."
(Courtesy: The Huffington Post)
Teagarden has bounced around during his eight-year career, appearing in eight games with the Cubs last season, while playing primarily in Triple-A. Delta 2 is listed on MLB's banned drug list, according to the report.
Howard and Zimmerman were not shown on camera, though Sly spoke about allegedly working with both players.
"He's somebody that you can not overwhelm with stuff," Sly said of Howard. "You just make sure you have everything in bags. He knows to take stuff twice a day. Usually I just have him like teach it back to me."
Howard is a three-time All-Star and former National League MVP, but has struggled the past four seasons. The 36-year-old hit .229/.277/.443 with 23 home runs and 128 strikeouts in 2015, and has missed 215 games over the past four seasons due to injury.
Zimmerman is another former All-Star that has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years. The two-time Silver Slugger winner has appeared in just 156 games over the past two seasons. Sly claimed he has known Zimmerman for six years.
"I worked with him in the offseason," Sly said. "That's how I get him to change some stuff."
William Burck, the attorney for both Howard and Zimmerman, denied any wrongdoing on behalf of his clients.
"It's inexcusable and irresponsible that Al Jazeera would provide a platform and broadcast outright lies about Mr. Howard and Mr. Zimmerman," Burck said in a statement via MLB Trade Rumors. "The extraordinarily reckless claims made against our clients in this report are completely false and rely on a source who has already recanted his claims. We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients’ good names."
Sly also denied any truth to his involvement prior to the report being aired.
"The statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect," Sly said. "To be clear, I am recanting any such statements, and there is no truth to any statement of mine that Al Jazeera plans to air."