BOSTON (AP) -Former Red Sox reliever Brendan Donnelly denied claims in baseball’s Mitchell Report that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
In the report, the culmination of a 20-month investigation into steroid use in baseball that was released Thursday, former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski recalled that Donnelly called him in 2004 looking for Anavar, an anabolic steroid. The report said Radomski made one sale to Donnelly of Deca-Durabolin for which Donnelly paid $250 to $300.
In a statement published by ESPN.com and the Boston Herald, Donnelly admits calling Radomski to discuss Anavar in 2004, when the pitcher was injured.
“Upon learning that Anavar was classified as a steroid, I realized that was not an option,” Donnelly said. “That was the end of it. Yes, I called him. But I did not purchase or receive anything from him. I never took Deca or Anavar. I do want to fully support the testing program of Major League Baseball, and I support wider testing.”
Donnelly told ESPN.com that he was “sick to my stomach” about being included in the report, saying he hasn’t slept since it was released.
The report also quoted an e-mail exchange in the Red Sox front office discussing Donnelly before Boston acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels last offseason.
“He was a juice guy but his velocity hasn’t changed a lot over the years … If he was a juice guy, he could be a breakdown candidate,” Zack Scott of the Red Sox baseball operations staff wrote of Donnelly in a Dec. 13, 2006, e-mail.
Kyle Evans of the baseball operations staff responded: “I haven’t heard many good things about him, w(ith) significant steroid rumors.”
Donnelly is recovering from tendon replacement surgery and is expected to miss most of next season. He became a free agent Wednesday night, hours before the report was released, when Boston declined to offer him a contract for 2008.
The team said it was unaware of the report’s contents when the decision was made on Donnelly. While commending Mitchell on his work, the Red Sox declined to address the specifics of the report.
The Red Sox issued a statement commending Mitchell’s work but did not address the specifics of his report.
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