Nationals' Gonzalez repeats PED denial
Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez repeated his denial Tuesday regarding his association with a clinic that is being investigated for providing performance-enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players.
"At the end of the day, I've never taken performance-enhancing drugs and I never will," Gonzalez told reporters on his first day at spring training.
The lefty was one of six major leaguers named in a Miami New Times report as having received PEDs from Anthony Bosch, the founder of a since-closed clinic that is accused of giving human growth hormone and synthetic testosterone to players.
According to the paper, Gonzalez was listed five times in Bosch's personal notebook. His father, Max, was also listed, and has said he was a Biogenesis patient in an attempt to lose weight.
Gonzalez, 27, said he was surprised to see his name in the report.
"You're stunned. You're shocked," Gonzalez said. "Your name's just brought up out of nowhere. And it's like, you can't do nothing about it. You just have to wait it out."
Asked for this theory as to how his name appeared in the records, Gonzalez thought it could be due to a proud papa.
"There's no connection, [except] for the fact that ... my father already admitted that he was a patient there, a legitimate patient," Gonzalez said. "And then after that, you know how my father is. ... All of South Florida, all of baseball knows that my father is the most proud father in baseball. Says hi. Tells everyone about his son. And that's the best I can say. You know, other than that, I have no clue why my name was on that list or in that notebook or anything."
