Ryan Braun on additional document
MIAMI -- The list was written in April, in the hand of Biogenesis of America clinic founder Anthony Bosch. Among the names is the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, and to the right of that name is a figure: $1,500.
That list, a source familiar with Bosch's operation told "Outside the Lines," indicates that those players received performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch and owed him money. The document, one of dozens obtained by "Outside the Lines," suggests a closer link to Bosch and the now-shuttered clinic he ran in Coral Gables, Fla., than Braun has acknowledged.
Anthony Bosch's past includes a tangle of ties and titles in which he befriended players while tapping the expertise of hormone-therapy doctors, write Mike Fish and T.J. Quinn. Story
The list is not definitive proof that Braun either received or used PEDs -- either would be a suspendable offense under Major League Baseball policy -- but may draw him more squarely into the spotlight as the league investigates the scandal and tries to draw the interest of law enforcement.
The Brewers outfielder was first connected to Bosch in a Yahoo! Sports report last week -- citing a different document -- that did not connect his name to drugs. Braun explained the report by saying he had consulted with Bosch during his successful appeal of a positive drug test a year ago. Why he consulted with Bosch, who is not a physician but presents himself as one, has not been made clear.
Bosch had been identified four years ago as a source for the HCG prescription that led to Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension. That prescription was written by Bosch's father, Pedro, who is a licensed physician in the Miami area. According to the documents cited by Yahoo! Sports, Bosch sought $20,000 to $30,000 from Braun.
But a source familiar with the documents obtained by "Outside the Lines" said the list with Braun's name, which also includes New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli and Toronto's Melky Cabrera, was a list of players who received PEDs, and that there is "no other reason to be on that paper."
One of the documents shows plus signs next to the players' names, which are circled for players who paid their fees, a source said. Braun's $1,500 fee is marked as being unpaid. Braun's name appears on another list of player names, dollar amounts and dates but is not included in the listing; rather, his name is at the bottom of the page under a line with "Expenses" written on it.
Martin Singer, a well-known Los Angeles attorney for celebrities, responded to questions posed to Braun's publicist by saying, "My client confirmed last week that there was an alleged claim for money owed to Mr. Bosch because he had been used as a consultant by my client's attorneys in his successful appeal with MLB last year. Several witnesses can corroborate how Mr. Bosch requested over thousands of dollars for his consulting with my client's attorneys last year. My client has no relationship with Tony Bosch, and the only relationship Mr. Bosch had was with my client's attorneys as a consultant."
Singer said that if Braun's name appears in the documents, it is only because Bosch was trying to get whatever money he could from Braun from the consulting arrangement. "It is clear that this is all false," Singer said. He threatened legal action against ESPN if it aired or published this report. The two attorneys who represented Braun's appeal last year, David Cornwell and Chris Lyons, declined comment.
Braun told reporters in Phoenix on Friday he would not discuss Biogenesis. "I understand why a lot of you guys are probably here, but I made a statement last week," he said. "I stand behind that statement. I'm not going to address that issue any further. As I stated, I'm happy to cooperate fully with any investigation into this matter."
On a Biogenesis document obtained by "Outside the Lines" that shows Braun's name, Rodriguez is listed as having paid $4,500, and Cervelli as having paid $2,500, with no amount listed next to Cabrera.
Cervelli, speaking to reporters Wednesday at the Yankees' spring training camp in Tampa, said he had consulted with Bosch after a foot injury but received no illegal substances. He said visiting Bosch was "a mistake."
For a year since he successfully overturned a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, Braun has maintained that he was the victim of a "flawed process" and suggested that a drug specimen collector had motive to doctor the test. Sources told "Outside the Lines" at the time that Braun had failed both an initial screening test, and a more sophisticated follow-up test that can determine whether someone's testosterone was produced by his own body or an outside source.
The sample was collected after a Brewers playoff game Friday, Oct. 2, 2011, but the closest FedEx facility was closed for the weekend. The collector decided to keep the sample stored in his basement for the weekend before shipping it to a laboratory, rather than let it sit unattended at FedEx. Arbitrator Shyam Das agreed with Braun that the collector had not followed proper procedures and cleared Braun, stunning MLB and the anti-doping community. Das was later dismissed by MLB.
MLB officials have been investigating Bosch and his connections to major league players since his name was brought to their attention in August. Investigators have not received cooperation from players or former Biogenesis employees. Without official documents like shipping receipts or sworn testimony about Bosch's business records, MLB would not be able to suspend players under its drug policy.
Bosch told "Outside the Lines" the allegations against him are "bulls---" and "all wrong."
Since last season's All-Star Game, three MLB players whose names appear in Biogenesis records -- Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Yasmani Grandal -- have been suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. Cabrera, in the midst of a breakout season with the San Francisco Giants, walked away with MVP honors in the All-Star Game played last July in Kansas City.
Records indicate that at one point Cabrera was on the Biogenesis books for a $9,000 "monthly fee.''
Clinic notes obtained by "Outside the Lines" reveal Bosch routinely wrote up regimens for players that contained very high concentrations of testosterone, in some cases as much as 20 percent, in creams and lozenges that they were encouraged to apply or take prior to games. Players linked to Bosch who tested positive are believed to have had extremely elevated testosterone levels, with one source saying they were "through the roof.''
Sources familiar with MLB's investigation said officials have tried to spark an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. So far, the DEA and FBI have not initiated investigations, several sources told "Outside the Lines." Nor have state authorities hinted at an interest, with a Florida Department of Law Enforcement saying, "FDLE is not investigating Biogenesis of America, and we have not received any complaints.''
treatment because his name somehow comes up...a week later?
