J.C. Romero Suspended 50 Games for Using Questionable Banned Substance

Wow. Huge blow to the Phillies first 50 games next season and the career of a possibly innocent man.

While Major League Baseball never said J.C. Romero tried to cheat, the 33-year-old reliever who won the third and clinching games of the 2008 World Series has been ruled guilty of "negligence" and will be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season.

Romero said on Monday that he bought a supplement from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, N.J., last July. The Players Association had told players the supplement was acceptable, but now the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander will receive a suspension and lose $1.25 million.

As mentioned in the comments, we suggest you read the entire article to see how J.C. really seems to be getting screwed over pretty bad here. Whether it's the Players Association failing him or the arbitrator, J.C. got misled.

The thing I admire the most, faced with a reduced sentence if he admitted guilt, J.C. said he couldn't admit guilt because he didn't believe he did anything wrong. 50 games and $1.25 million is messing with a dude's life. That sucks for J.C. and Phillies fans everywhere.

>>Romero Questions Suspension [ESPN]

Comments

[mike c]

fuck

[EricStAngelo]

This is utter bullshit.
I greatly suggest everyone reading the whole story so you can really get a grasp of how he's being done really dirty here.
They're destroying a guys reputation over bullshit.
Is there anything we, as fans, can do about this shit?
shit shit shit shit shit

[mike c]

He's really getting fucked over. Is there any way this could still not happen.

[Blues]

Completely bogus.

[agam22]

he could follow the lead of the nfl guys who were suspended for starcaps and file an injunction against the suspension and take it to court

[gregotto]

Someone get the T-shirt presses fired up - time for some FREE ROMERO swag.

What an absolute pile of garbage. Major League Baseball fails to communicate and Romero takes the fall for TAKING SOMETHING DEEMED LEGAL?!? gtfo.

[doubleh]

So first they tell them they can buy the stuff and then after they do, they tell them they can't and now they're suspended 50 games without pay? That's crap.

MLB is second only to the NHL in being run like total shit.

[Pat]

I was a big J.C. fan before, but after reading the full article, he may now be one of my favorite players. He knew he didnt cheat and his defending his honor. Big props J.C. But i think things will change after this is made more public.

[T.J.]

Bud Selig is a fucking clown.

I love J.C. for his Dawkin's like passion.

Who's going to start printing Free J.C. T-shirts???

[SirAlden]

This is ridiculous, the Union needs to protect him with a Strike if necessary.

[themajor]

complete crap. fucking bullshit. what confuses me about this whole god damn thing is he takes a simple over the counter supplement and gets suspended? I know I obviously dont understand the full policy of the drug testing policy but this seems like total crap to me. definately follow the lead of the nfl players and sue. he asked the questions about it. got second opinions. how the hell can a player know whats right and wrong when he is told two different things

[gregotto]

It could have been a friggin' PowerBar for all we know. It's not like he a) bought it over the internet or B) (and this is the part that gets me) CHECK WITH ABOUT 4 DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO TOLD HIM IT WAS LEGAL BEFORE HE BEGAN TAKING THE SUBSTANCE.

I am flat out floored that MLB is making him pay for their f-up.

[Pete D]

This is insane. I guess its the risk you take when you take certain supplements (and sooner or later we'll know what this was). It has to a relatively risky upper in some form, otherwise MLB wouldn't have banned it.

MLBPA should be doing more for this guy.

Oh, and this really sucks for the Phils.

[slowski]

they cant be allowed to get away with this kind of shit. this is completely wrong.

[Scott B]

this cant be the end of this. i dont buy he is getting he games. cant be true....

absolutely a shame. I'm a huge Romero fan, his
swagger is unlike any mid releiver ive seen.

im going to bet this isnt the last we see of this.

[T.J.]

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167

Fire away fellas.

[Chamomiles Davis]

Not since the Spanish Inquisition have I read about such clever manipulation of a suspected offender.

"If you don't confess right now, we'll cut your balls off. But if you do, we'll cut only one."

[GreggyD]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I am beyond pissed. I read the article on ESPN before coming over here and I am completely and utterly outraged. Romero is right in saying that maybe he should have called the hotline, but he went through so many outlets to make sure everything checked out. JC Romero is getting royally screwed in this and I hope that now that it has had public light shed upon it that something more just will come out of it. This line might irritate me the most:

"In December, the Players Association informed Romero that the arbitrator had had a change of heart and was ruling against him. Sunday, that was confirmed, and Tuesday afternoon, MLB will announce the suspension."

What kind of fair and just arbitrator simply has a "change of heart?" This is some shit and MLB better think long and hard about this. The PA needs to give him some more support to. If this was happening to the star player of any other team, the national media would be crying out and questioning why. I don't care if it's Romero or Alex Rodriguez. They're all professional baseball players and should be backed appropriately by their union.

[MSM]

Utter garbage. Typical MLB crap. Oh, and how does an arbitrator CHANGE HIS MIND? Doesn't he make a decision and stick with it? Oh, perhaps he's actually an MLB umpire, like those blind mice in the World Series. Hopefully the MLBPA finally does something aside from bitch about salaries and protect a guy.

[Joe]

Here's what Romero should due- sue the MLBPA for $10 million. Keep $3 million, and give the Phillies the other $7 million to pick up a decent reliever to fill his spot until he gets back. That should be a nice big middle finger to Bud "Stephen Hawking" Selig.

[Tony]

unfucking believable

i think i am actually going to write an intelligent and scathing letter, i am that angry

[gregotto]

This isn't on Selig. The MLBPA did an awful job, and the arbitrator changed his mind. How the hell can an arbitrator change his mind?! Still stunned.

[timm]

philly.com isnt letting the post go thru so i will put it here also:
this is an absolute joke. i'm sure a few lawyers read this so i ask, is there a class action lawsuit that can filed on behalf of the fans against the ruling (mlb)? one that argues along the lines that the fans are being cheated because of the suspension and why it was given? don't know what it would do but if romero is out of options then maybe something else needs to be done.

[R.S.]

FREE MUMIA ROMERO

[Jay]

I can already hear the a$shole mets fans now, "Your World Series win was bogus. You guys cheated." Well let me be the first to say F*CK YOU!! WE'RE STILL GONNA BEAT YOUR A$S.

[RyanAbrams77]

(law student) I haven't read the MLBPA boilerplate contract, but even if it has a clause in it that says otherwise, arbitration is not binding in a court of law. It is possible that the arbitration hearing could be used as evidence of negligence, but would not prove negligence.

His lawyer can challenge the validity of the clause and probably get a judge to rule that it is void as a matter of public policy. Think about it: the players have no choice but to sign whatever the MLBPA puts in front of them if they want to play ball. This is what is called a "contract of adhesion", and judges normally will take into account the bargaining power of the parties when deciding whether or not to enforce parts of these contracts.

The MLB, powerful as it may be, cannot circumvent the law and do whatever the fuck it feels like doing and violate the rights of its employees. He deserves his day in court, and he will get it. He should take it to a federal court, because federal judges usually don't give a flying fuck about some big corporation bearing down on them. They are appointed for a term and then when its over its over. So they don't have to kiss any big-money ass.

Damn I wish I would graduate already so I could take the MLB to the woodshed on this one.

[Leroy]

JC Romero is only guilty of being the f*$%ing man in my eyes. Free JC shirts is a great idea.

[doubleh]

F the Mets or whoever the jackass fans who want to say the Phils didn't earn their WS. Romero took these in mid-season and stopped as soon as he found out they were banned, well before the postseason even began. He was not taking the vitamins in the playoffs.
So, basically it boils down to this: either the MLBPA knowingly let what they are saying "is not a cheater" play in the WS or they screwed the pooch and are making him the poster boy for their royal fuckup. My pick is Option B.

[CMc62480]

"No one expects the Inquisition."

What a complete screwup by MLB. Like we needed another reason to hate Bud Selig after Game 5.1 was suspended.

J.C. better be able to collect his ring on Opening Day if the suspension is held up. Get the letters going fellas.

[tc]

I don't understand why the sports themselves don't contract with the supplement companies to take the products and submit them to testing according to the substance policies of the major sports, NCAA, IOC, etc. If the product passes testing according to whatever governing body's banned substance policies are, it gets an approved by:MLB, NFL, USOC, etc. stamp on the label when it is packaged for sale. If a player goes to a supplement store & sees his governing body's logo on the label, he's clear. If it doesn't appear, the player knows they are rolling the dice. It's a win for the players and the sport in general as a step to clean up the sport, and a win as a marketing tool for the supplement companies.

[MPR529]

great article by gammons. JC got hosed.

[Jack P]

as scott b commented:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167

if this address is right we might need to start sending some letters

[will.H]

its the squeeze fellas. make examples to show that you're 'tough on banned substances.' of all the shit that all the men have taken in MLB to get ahead, romero serves 50 game suspension and loses hard earned money over something this illegitimate. the squeeze is on, and the commish is directly responsible. he is not a man.

[MikeY]

@ Jack P:

...or leave flaming bags of dog crap on his porch.

[Danielle the Phillies Nut]

Did you see the Inky this morning ????? Proviant Technologies , Inc.-maker of the 6-oxo supplement ADMITS , in writing , that the product DOES CAUSE FALSE POSITIVES for Adenotestosterone testing. MLB ( and that dumbass Selig) reviewed the document and WILL NOT ACCEPT THE TRUTH. MLB and Selig stand behind their drug testing facility outside of Montreal. JC needs a lawyer. The goddamned proof is there that he is innocent and that old vampire bastard won't look at it.