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Suspended Blue Jays prospect denies PED use, says he passed polygraph test

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Toronto Blue Jays prospect Thomas Pannone was suspended 80 games for using a banned substance Friday, but says he isn't sure how the drug got into his system and took a polygraph test in an effort to prove his innocence.

The 23-year-old pitcher tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone or DHCMT, also known as Turinabol - the same steroid former Blue Jays player Chris Colabello was banned for in 2016. Pannone released a statement denying he knowingly took the drug and adding that he underwent a polygraph test:

In an effort to exhaust all options to prove my innocence, I agreed to undergo a three-hour polygraph test administered by an experienced former FBI agent. The test results showed I was truthful, passing with one of the highest scores possible. ...

It is my hope that that future athletes who unknowingly test positive for DHCMT, will have a better chance to clear their names than I have had. I am fully aware that, regardless of my innocence, I will have to earn back the trust of some and I plan to make that a priority for the rest of my career.

The young left-hander was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in July 2017 as part of a package for reliever Joe Smith. He had the backing of Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, who formerly worked for Cleveland and released a statement of his own:

I have personally known Thomas as long as he's been in professional baseball and I have only known him to have exceptionally high character and integrity, so when I heard this news I was extremely surprised. Additionally, when he informed me that he was unaware of how this substance got into his system, I believed him at his word.

Pannone was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 26th-best prospect in the Blue Jays' farm system. He was 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA across 25 starts in the minors last season.

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