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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Shane Carwin's summer is about to get a bit worse.
After failing in his bid to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion in July, getting choked out by Brock Lesnar in the second round at UFC 116, a report out Friday is now linking him to steroids.
The story out today is about J. Michael Bennett, who was the supervising pharmacist at Applied Pharmacy Services. According to the report from AL.com, Bennett was sentenced to four years in prison for "participating in a nationwide conspiracy to illegally sell anabolic steroids made in Mobile," Alabama.
Bennett was one of five from APS to be convicted, and sentences of his co-defendants are to be handed down at a later date.
The U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins and other prosecutors cited 22 professional athletes that obtained steroids from the pharmacy while Bennett worked there, and the court records highlight that Applied Pharmacy Services shipped 762,388 dosages to 17 doctors and clinics from April 4, 2004, until Aug. 30, 2006.
Carwin was among the athletes named as receiving steroid orders that had Bennet's signature or initials.
"These are steroids for horses and cows, not for young people and humans," Dobbins had stated.
Carwin was named along with professional wrestlers Kurt Angle and Bob Howard, better known as "Hardcore" Holly, as well as a number of body builders. Seven other pro wrestlers, six bodybuilders and two professional baseball players were also named by initials only.
Penick's Analysis: This is unfortunately the unseen underbelly of many sports, and despite the fact that Carwin will deny tooth and nail that any of this is true and point to the fact that he hasn't failed any tests, he's named as receiving steroid shipments from this pharmacy and isn't going to help his case. This seems to be a continued cycle in every sport, where it's being done, people know it's being done, but these athletes will continue to deny, deny, deny. But we're to the point now where the continued denials have lost all credence. Of course, Carwin shouldn't be totally crucified in the public light, because he's simply named here, hasn't been caught with anything technically and hasn't failed a test, but this certainly isn't good for him. People will look at him differently from here on out, however.
[Shane Carwin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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