Anthony Galea charged with treating NFL players with unapproved drugs

Dr. Anthony Galea, you will recall, is the Canadian doctor in the cross-hairs of an HGH investigation emanating from the Buffalo, New York U.S. Attorneys office. The investigation has made news in baseball circles because investigators on the case interviewed Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes and have attempted -- thus far unsuccessfully -- to interview Alex Rodriguez.

But baseball isn’t the only sport in which the good Dr. has contacts, and today Galea was charged with unlawfully treating professional football players with unapproved drugs, including human growth hormone:

The complaint charges the doctor with lying to federal officials, smuggling, unlawful distribution of HGH, introducing the unapproved drug actovegin into interstate commerce and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

According to court documents, Galea’s clients include at least three National Football League players. One allegedly had two HGH kits delivered to his home, and another allegedly received actovegin injections.

The football players remained anonymous in the complaint, though I can’t immediately understand why, seeing as though they will no doubt be witnesses in this case, voluntary or otherwise. One would assume, wouldn’t one, that if and when the football players’ identities do come out that they’ll be dragged through the mud. Oh, wait, I forgot what sport I was dealing with.

There’s no suggestion that any baseball players were mentioned in the indictment by name or anonymously, which suggests that, much to the i-Team’s chargrin, Dr. Galea wasn’t giving Jose Reyes and others HGH. Of course these charges often get amended multiple times with multiple counts added, so it’s possible that Galea will be accused of distributing to baseball players at a later date.

In any event, let us all sit back, relax and watch Ian O’Connor’s get whiplash from going from relative reason to outrage in the space of about six hours.