J.C. Romero settles his lawsuit against supplement manufacturer

J.C. Romero was suspended for 50 games in 2009 following a positive drug test in 2008. He claimed at the time that the supplement he was taking -- which he purchased at a GNC store -- was tainted. And he sued the supplement’s manufacturer and distributor. The New York Daily News reports that he has settled that lawsuit:

Almost three years after he filed suit against the makers and distributors of a supplement he blamed for his 2008 positive drug test, major league lefty reliever J.C. Romero has reached a settlement in the matter and told the Daily News he believes that “justice is served” and that the resolution “gives closure to the fans in (Philadelphia).”

Romero’s name has come up a lot recently in light of Ryan Braun’s positive drug test which, like Romero, many believe was the result of some inadvertent act, a tainted drug or a something taken for purposes other than performance enhancement.

Cases like these show the limits of a drug testing program, however. Because sometimes it takes a looooong time to figure out exactly what happened, rendering zero tolerance and summary discipline really problematic. Yet, but their very nature, a testing and discipline programs can’t work if, every time there is a positive test, three years of litigation ensue.