Another Dominican MLB Player Tests Positive for Winstrol, Pleads Ignorance

Jenrry Mejia, a relief pitcher from the Dominican Republic who currently plays for the New York Mets, has been suspended for 80 games after the anabolic steroid stanozolol (aka Winstrol) was detected in his urine. In a statement released this weekend, Mejia has pleaded ignorance as to how the substance ended up in his body.

"I know the rules are the rules and I will accept my punishment, but I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system," Mejia said. "I have been through a lot in my young career and missed time due to injury. I have worked way too hard to come back and get to where I am, so I would never knowingly put anything in my body that I thought could hold me out further."

A few people have come out in support of Mejia. They have argued that his plea of ignorance is very plausible. CJ Nitkowski, a retired relief pticher who played briefly with the Mets, wrote an an 800+ word defense of Mejia on the Fox Sports MLB micro-site, JustABitOutside.com.

Nitkowski recounted his experiences alongside several Dominican MLB baseball players while he played winter ball in the Dominican Republic in 2011 and 2012. According to Nitkowski, it is not unusual for Dominican players to be unaware of the substances given to them by trainers and handlers. 
Trainers regularly offered injections to players even though players were not certain to its ingredients. Nitkowski knew at least one player who was injecting a black liquid to enhance his performance. The player had no idea what the black liquid contained. But the player reported regularly passing anti-doping exams.

It was not the first time Nitkowski defended MLB players accused of using steroids. Nitkowski once used a personal trainer named Brian McNamee. McNamee was also one of the top steroid dealers for several high-profile players such as Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite. Given their shared connection to McNamee, federal investigators asked Nitkowski about steroid use by these players. Nitkowski denied having any knowledge of steroid distribution by McNamee to Clemens or Pettite or anyone else.

"I have never seen Roger or Andy take any illegal performance-enhancing drugs,” Nitkowski told the FBI on January 30, 2009. “I have never talked to either of them about PEDs, nor do I have any firsthand knowledge of them taking any PEDs."

The “never knowingly” used steroids defense has been one of the most popular explanations by athletes with positive steroid tests. Nitkowski notwithstanding, most people have been highly skeptical of such statements. This has been particularly true since Barry Bonds famously used the “never knowingly” used steroids defense. 

Mejia's lack of accountability has even upset some of his teammates.

David Wright, the third-baseman and captain for the Mets, thinks Mejia should be punished.

 "You're letting down your teammates,” Wright told Sports Illustrated. “That probably means just as much, if not more, than hurting yourself. He messed up, and he needs to be punished."

Dillon Gee, the starting pitcher for the Mets who also serves on the advisory board of the Taylor Hooton Foundation (THF), refused to dispute Mejia's assertion that he “never knowingly” used steroids. However, Gee maintained that Mejia was just as guilty of making a bad decision for not knowing.

“I’m not saying he did know,” Gee said. “I’m just saying that not knowing what you’re taking is also a decision in itself of just not being careful. In that regard, he made a bad decision still.”

Mejia's failed drug test represents the fourth Winstrol positive in the MLB in the past couple of weeks. Two other Dominicans were also on the list i.e. Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana and Atlanta Braves pitcher Arodys Vizcaino.

The fact that four pitchers on four different teams all tested positive for Winstrol has raised suspicions of a connection between the cases. Unidentified sources told the Associated Press that MLB was looking for links but has yet to discover any.

Source:

Diamond, J. (April 12, 2015). Ignorance Isn’t Best Defense for Mejia. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/ignorance-isnt-best-defense-for-mejia-1428880372

Nitkowski, C. (April 12, 2015). Ignorance Plausible for Mejia. Retrieved from http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/new-york-mets-jenrry-mejia-drug-suspension-dominican-republic-culture-stanozolol-041215

Sports Illustrated. (April 12, 2015). David Wright on Jenrry Mejia: 'He needs to be punished'. Retrieved from http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/04/12/david-wright-jenrry-mejia-suspension-reaction-new-york-mets