Kelly Blair, the owner of now-defunct 1-on-1 Elite Personal Fitness near Houston, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the authors and publisher of “American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime” on the eve of his grand jury testimony in the Roger Clemens perjury investigation. The book was written by the New York Daily News investigative journalism team consisting of Michael O’Keefe, Christian Red, Teri Thompson and Nathaniel Vinton. The suit also names the publisher (Knopf Doubleday) and one previously anonymous source (Robin Dobbins) cited in the book (”Authors and Publisher of Baseball Steroids Book Sued for Defamation, According to The Gibson Law Firm,” August 10).
Blair’s attorney, Jason A. Gibson, of The Gibson Law Firm, stated, “As the lawsuit alleges, Kelly Blair was maliciously and recklessly defamed by the authors and publishers of this book and at least one dubious source whose false allegations they published. Kelly looks forward to his day in court on this matter. In the meantime, he looks forward to testifying tomorrow before the grand jury in Washington.”
Kelly Blair’s lawsuit alleges that Robin Dobbins is responsible for the information in the book that links Blair directly to the sale of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to Major League Baseball (MLB) players Read more
FDA Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, the agent who has become the face of the federal government witch-hunt against steroid users in professional sports during the BALCO scandal, has move his attention to investigating dietary supplement companies suspected of selling designer anabolic steroids.
Novitzky’s latest steroid investigation targeted two popular products sold and marketed as dietary supplements, “Tren Xtreme” and “Mass Xtreme”. These products were manufactured by American Cellular Labs Inc. (ACL) and sold exclusively through Max Muscle Sports Nutrition (MMSN) stores and via the ACL website (”Two Dietary Supplements Said to Contain Steroids,” July 23).
The exact nature of the business relationship between ACL and MMSN is unclear. Maurice Sandoval, the owner of the Max Muscle San Francisco franchise and the Regional Marketing Director for Max Muscle, was identified as the chief executive of ACL in a government affidavit. Sandoval told the New York Times that he sold ACL in 2008. ACL, Max Muscle San Francisco, and Sandoval’s residence were targets of search warrants executed on July 23, 2009.
The FDA investigation did not involve any steroid contaminants or undisclosed anabolic steroids. Federal investigators specifically targeted the openly listed ingredients in Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme commonly referred to as “Tren” and “Madol”, respectively. Read more
