Redskins’ receiver Santana Moss told his teammates that he received treatment from Canadian doctor Anthony Galea, who has been charged with smuggling and distributing HGH. But his teammates believe him when he says that he knew nothing about Galea’s involvement with HGH.

From the Washington Post:

Defensive end Phillip Daniels said Moss told a handful of teammates last week that Galea had treated him on three occasions. But Moss, a nine-year veteran, wasn’t certain whether he had received HGH.

“I believe he’s telling the truth. Santana’s always been a stand-up guy,” Daniels said. “. . . I believe in him. I support him.”

Moss told teammates that he received three treatments from Galea, two for his hamstring and one for his knee.

“As far as the HGH or anything, he didn’t say he knew what it was or anything like that,” Daniels said. ” . . . He was doing the right things, just trying to get healthy.”

It still doesn’t sound as if Moss did anything wrong here. Just because he went to Galea for treatment of his hamstring and knee, doesn’t mean he was given or injected with HGH. And if Galea did inject Moss with the drug at any time, it’s entirely possibly that the receiver didn’t know about it. Furthermore, if Galea did inject Moss with HGH without him knowing about it, then obviously Moss never intended to use the steroid as a performance-enhancer.

But maybe I’m being naïve in thinking that Moss is innocent. Maybe he sought out Galea because he knew that the doctor could provide him with HGH and therefore, a fast recovery from his injuries. Whether Moss’s intention was to use HGH to get bigger, faster and stronger or use it as a healing aid, if he knew that he was receiving the steroid then he should be suspended. And I guess there in lies the crux of all of this: Did he receive HGH from Galea?

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According to a report by the Buffalo News, Redskins receiver Santana Moss was one of the professional athletes who allegedly received treatment from Dr. Anthony Galea, who has been charged with smuggling muscle-building drugs into the U.S. But as the article points out, Moss isn’t in any trouble, nor is he being accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

“At this juncture, any of the persons who are alleged to have used these substances are considered witnesses, and not targets, of this investigation,” Hochul told The Buffalo News.

“Officials of the NFL and other sports organizations can sleep soundly tonight, because there is nothing he did with these athletes to help them with performance enhancement,” Mahoney said Wednesday.

“[Galea] strictly provided treatment for injuries. If any athlete got [human growth hormone], it was injected directly into injured tissue, in very small amounts, for purposes of healing.”

In a day and age where PEDs are the most controversial subject in sports, it’s too bad that Moss’ name is being tied in with the “Steroid Doctor.” But at least those conducting the trial are going out of their way to make sure the media knows that Moss hasn’t done anything wrong.

Update: I spoke too soon. The Washington Post is now reporting that Moss could be suspended for HGH. I’ll stay on top of the story and post more as news develops.

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SI.com reports that federal law enforcement officials have informed numerous athletes that they will be subpoenaed in the case against Canadian physician Anthony Galea.

Galea, who is based in Toronto, faces charges in his native Canada of conspiring to smuggle human growth hormone (HGH) and the drug Actovegin into the U.S., conspiracy to smuggle prohibited goods into Canada, unlawfully selling Actovegin, and smuggling goods into Canada in violation of the Customs Act. The doctor’s client list is elite; it includes Tiger Woods, U.S. Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, Broncos quarterback Chris Simms, former Browns running back Jamal Lewis, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and Donovan Bailey of Canada, who won the 100 meters at the 1996 Olympics. These athletes have acknowledged being treated by Galea but deny receiving any performance-enhancing drugs from him. Known as a progressive if not unorthodox physician, Galea developed a loyal following among athletes for his use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a legal procedure thought to potentially speed recovery from injury.

The federal investigation of Galea began Sept. 14, when border guards stopped Galea’s assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, for a vehicle inspection while she was crossing from Canada into Buffalo. Catalano told border officials she was carrying medical supplies. A search yielded vials of HGH, Actovegin-a substance extracted from calf’s blood and thought to have healing properties — a BlackBerry and a laptop with client information. Catalano has been cooperating with Canadian and U.S. law enforcement officials.

The sad part about this is that even if Galea goes down for this, new suppliers will continue to pop up. There will always be an outlet for athletes who are looking for a leg up on the competition.

In this case, cut the head off the snake and another snake will just take its place.

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