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Athletes using sexual enhancers is nothing new in MLB. Neither is the linkage between these enhancers and PEDs, something that the league has attempted to shed light on in a recent memo that was shared with the players, according to ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan:
The use of gas-station sexual-enhancement pills in baseball is so prevalent that MLB sent out a memo warning players that their use could lead to positive PED tests, as at least two players have claimed this year, sources tell ESPN. News: https://t.co/WD0gXgmXgs
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 21, 2019
Passan writes that the memo encourages players suffering from conditions such as erectile dysfunction to seek medical assistance in what medications they can safely prescribe without compromising their own health and safety or risking a positive test for a banned substance:
In the memo, which was sent to major and minor league players and redistributed by the MLB Players Association to ensure its members received it, MLB suggested that players who “suffer from erectile dysfunction or other legitimate issues related to sexual performance … speak to a licensed physician about the various prescription medications (e.g., Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) available to treat those conditions.”
The memo also continues further:
“We know from experience,” the league memo said, “that a number of these sexual or male enhancement products — which are sold online, at retail stores, and on the black market, both in the United States and internationally — contain anabolic steroids and other prohibited substances.
“For this reason,” the memo continued, “we strongly urge players against taking any sexual or male enhancement product, from any source.”
The MLB is not the only sports organization that has reason to be concerned. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) prizefighters like Jon Jones and Anderson Silva have attributed tainted drug samples to sexual enhancers as well.
Suspended players like Seattle Mariners shortstop Tim Beckham and Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas have suggested that they may have been subject to tainted substances.
