MLB joins US Anti-Doping Agency in joint investigation of Al Jazeera report

According to T.J. Quinn from ESPN, Major League Baseball and the United States Anti-Doping Agency are conducting a joint investigation based on a Dec. 27 Al Jazeera documentary that names several MLB players who received performance enhancing drugs. Named in the report are Washington Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Philadelphia Phillies' first baseman Ryan Howard and minor league catcher Taylor Teagarden. In the documentary, an Indiana man named Charlie Sly was unknowingly recorded stating that he helped provide numerous NFL and MLB players PED's. Since the documentary came out, Sly has rescinded the allegations. Both Howard and Zimmerman filed lawsuits against Al Jazeera America which caused the reporting agency to shut down it's operations. There is a recording between Sly and Teagarden, in which Teagarden states that he did receive performance enhancing drugs from Sly. This joint investigations allows MLB to access contacts in USADA's law enforcement pool and allows the USADA to investigate a major sports league which it normally doesn't have jurisdiction in. This news is the complete opposite of what the NFL is doing, who will not being joining the joint investigation and will be conducting their own investigation.

With the Biogenesis case in the background and the way MLB took that PED scandal seriously, it will be interesting to see how it handles this report. The ramifications could not be in favor of both Zimmerman and Howard if any evidence is found. This could be a never ending saga unfortunately for baseball.