Indians pitcher, baseball at odds over purchase of HGH
But MLB and the Indians raise doubts about the pitcher's purchase from a Florida clinic.
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 22, 2007
BOSTON - Indians pitcher Paul Byrd claimed Sunday he did nothing wrong in taking human growth hormone because it was prescribed by a doctor.
But there remained numerous questions, as well as a dark shadow over Game 7 of the AL Championship Series, after a San Francisco Chronicle report that Byrd purchased 1,000 vials of the performance-enhancing drug August 2002 through January 2005 from a Palm Beach anti-aging clinic.
Standing in uniform outside the Indians clubhouse before Sunday's game, Byrd said he injected himself with HGH because of a diagnosed pituitary gland problem.
"In short, I have never taken any hormone or any drug that was not prescribed to me by a doctor," he said. "That is the key to this. ... I do not want honest, caring people to think that I cheated, because I didn't."
But MLB officials were surprised, and perhaps skeptical. They said they would have talked to Byrd before Wednesday's start of the World Series had the Indians advanced, suggesting the possibility of immediate disciplinary action.
Byrd indicated the Indians and MLB were aware of the HGH situation, but that was refuted by Indians general manager Mark Shapiro (who said he knew nothing until Byrd informed him Friday night) and MLB officials. Plus, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said there are not permitted uses of HGH for medical reasons.
Byrd, 36, insisted his use was legitimate, citing how he ordered the reported $25,000 worth of drugs and syringes from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center using his own credit card and had some of the reported 13 orders shipped to team clubhouses. Byrd, who pitched for the Royals, Braves and Angels during the time, said the drug did not enhance his performance and he resisted a "temptation" to increase his dosage to improve his fastball.
He would not say if he has continued to take HGH and said he recently had been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor.
"Everything has been done out in the open," he said. "I feel like that makes things very legitimate on my intentions."
But the Chronicle report, based on records of the transactions, noted that the center has been targeted by law enforcement for illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs, and that two of Byrd's prescriptions were not written by a doctor but by an unnamed Florida dentist, whose license has since been suspended for fraud and incompetence.
"If that pharmacy did something wrong, I did not know about it," Byrd said.
Based on the reported timetable, Byrd started receiving HGH during his most successful season, and stopped one week before MLB banned it.
Byrd said he was disappointed in the timing of the report, concerned enough that it was a distraction to meet Sunday with his teammates, and disturbed his reputation would be tarnished. He said he would answer more questions later. (It was noted the man heading MLB's steroids investigation, George Mitchell, is a listed director of the Red Sox.)
Byrd is the latest on a growing list of players identified in news reports as having received shipments of performance-enhancing drugs, though none were disciplined.