Chapter[ VI. Incidents Providing Evidence to Baseball Officials of Players’ Possession
or Use of Performance Enhancing Substances ]
Section[ G. Infielder Disciplined For Steroids Shipment, July 2004 ]
G. Infielder Disciplined For Steroids Shipment, July 2004
In early June 2004, an athletic trainer for a minor league team opened a package
addressed to the team from another, affiliated team in the minor leagues. Inside he found a pair
of slightly worn shoes in which were packed batting gloves and a pair of socks. Wrapped inside
one of the socks was a vial containing a white, milky substance that was labeled in Spanish. The
trainer reported the discovery to the front office of his team’s major league affiliate, which
determined through a test that the substance was stanozolol (Winstrol), an anabolic steroid.
The major league club immediately contacted their outside lawyer. He conducted
an investigation of the incident in which he concluded that the substance had been shipped by
Player X, a minor league player who was on the major league club’s 40-man roster at the time.
(After the incident but before this investigation began, a settlement agreement was reached
among the Commissioner’s Office, the major league club, and the Players Association, under
which we are not permitted to identify Player X in this report).
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The club’s lawyer prepared a memorandum describing his investigation and
findings, which he sent to Frank Coonelly in the Commissioner’s Office.270 Coonelly and Rob
Manfred decided to interview the player who was the intended recipient of the package in the
first instance because, as a minor league player, they could do so without notifying the Players
Association. That player “had no problem confirming immediately” that he had received the
package containing the steroids from Player X.
Coonelly then informed Michael Weiner, the general counsel of the Players
Association, that he and Manfred intended to interview Player X two days later. Coonelly also
informed Weiner that the Commissioner’s Office was considering disciplinary action against
Player X. The next day, Weiner objected to the interview on such short notice and reported that
Player X did not consent to be interviewed.
No interview was ever conducted of Player X in connection with the matter. Nor
was Player X suspended. Instead, the Players Association entered into a settlement agreement
with the Commissioner’s Office under which Player X was separated immediately from his
minor league club and was provided a first-class airplane ticket home. The settlement agreement
also provided that if Player X came to spring training in 2005, he would be required to submit to
a urine test for steroids, and if that test was negative he would thereafter be subject to the
standard drug testing program faced by all other players.
The settlement agreement required the major league club and the Commissioner’s
Office to keep its terms confidential and required the club to report only that Player X had left
his team “for personal reasons.” Player X had the right to void the settlement if any press report
270 In September 2007, Coonelly was hired as chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
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suggested that his departure from the club was related to steroids (or any other “Prohibited
Substance” under the joint drug program).
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