Anthony Galea
Encyclopedia
Anthony Galea is a Canadian
sports medicine
specialist. He is a team physician
with the Toronto Argonauts
of the Canadian Football League
. He has also treated several clients in the United States, though he is not licensed to practice medicine in the United States.
On December 15, 2009 the New York Times and the Associated Press
reported that Galea is the subject of a joint investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
's Buffalo Field Office
for allegedly providing elite athletes with performance enhancing drugs, as well as criminal conspiracy.
The drugs were Actovegin
and human growth hormone
. Galea was arrested in Toronto
on October 15, 2009 and will face charges.
Galea's confirmed clients include golf
er Tiger Woods
, Olympic medalists
Dara Torres
, Mark McCoy
and Donovan Bailey
, NFL
players Javon Walker
, Santana Moss
and Chris Simms
, and figure skater Patrick Chan
. Major League Baseball
players Huston Street
and John Patterson
have also received treatment from Galea. According to the New York Times, Galea visited Tiger Woods at his Orlando home at least four times in February and March 2009 to administer a special blood-spinning technique
, and that Woods responded well to the treatment.
On February 28, 2010, The New York Times
reported that Galea treated New York Yankees
third baseman
Alex Rodriguez
in March 2009 and that Rodriguez's rehabilitation from hip surgery was overseen by Dr. Mark Lindsay, an associate of Galea's.
On May 18, 2010, Galea was formally accused of illegally distributing HGH
in a criminal complaint filed in Buffalo, New York. The same day, Mike Fish of ESPN
reported that Galea criss-crossed the United States during the summer of 2009, treating 23 athletes with a variety of substances, including HGH
.
On July 6, 2011, Galea pleaded guilty to bringing into the United States unapproved drugs, including human growth hormone for the purpose of treating professional athletes. As part of the plea agreement, he is required to cooperate with investigators and disclose the identities of his clients and their treatments.
It was not the first time, however, Galea was found to carry drug banned by professional sport authority into another country. According to The Globe and Mail
, Australian custom seized ephedrine
from Galea when he arrived Sydney during the 2000 Summer Olympics
although he was never charged and was allowed to enter the country.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sports medicine
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
specialist. He is a team physician
Team physician
The team physician for a sports team is the physician who is in charge of coordinating the medical staff and medical services for a sports team. They are also subject to activities involving team building...
with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He has also treated several clients in the United States, though he is not licensed to practice medicine in the United States.
On December 15, 2009 the New York Times and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Galea is the subject of a joint investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's Buffalo Field Office
FBI Buffalo Field Office
The FBI Buffalo Field Office is the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Buffalo, New York, one of 56 field offices in the United States.The Buffalo Field Office is responsible for the Western New York region...
for allegedly providing elite athletes with performance enhancing drugs, as well as criminal conspiracy.
The drugs were Actovegin
Actovegin
Actovegin is a highly filtered extract obtained from calf blood which enhances aerobic oxidation in mammals. This improves absorption of glucose and oxygen uptake in tissue, which may enhance physical performance and stamina....
and human growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
. Galea was arrested in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on October 15, 2009 and will face charges.
Galea's confirmed clients include golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, Olympic medalists
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Dara Torres
Dara Torres
Dara Grace Torres is an American international swimmer and a twelve-time Olympic medalist. Torres was the first swimmer from the United States to compete in five Olympic Games , and, at age 41, the oldest swimmer ever to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team...
, Mark McCoy
Mark McCoy
Mark McCoy is a vocalist for several punk rock, black metal, powerviolence and experimental bands, some of which include Charles Bronson, Das Oath, Holy Molar, and most recently Failures. He also recorded a spoken-word comedy Split 7" with Mark Telfian of Limp Wrist...
and Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey is a retired Canadian sprinter, who once held the world record for the 100 metres race following his gold medal performance in the 1996 Olympic Games. He was the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m...
, NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, Santana Moss
Santana Moss
Santana Terrell Moss is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:...
and Chris Simms
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, and figure skater Patrick Chan
Patrick Chan
Patrick Chan is a Canadian figure skater.He is the 2011 World Champion, 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, the 2009 and 2010 World silver medalist, the 2007 World Junior silver medalist and a four-time Canadian Champion.At the 2010 Canadian Championships, he...
. Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players Huston Street
Huston Street
Huston Lowell Street is an American baseball relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. His father is former University of Texas quarterback James Street, and his brother Juston Street is currently a pitcher for the minor league Vancouver Canadians....
and John Patterson
John Patterson (pitcher)
John Hollis Patterson is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals franchise....
have also received treatment from Galea. According to the New York Times, Galea visited Tiger Woods at his Orlando home at least four times in February and March 2009 to administer a special blood-spinning technique
Platelet-rich plasma
Platelet-rich plasma is blood plasma that has been enriched with platelets. As a concentrated source of autologous platelets, PRP contains several different growth factors and other cytokines that stimulate healing of bone and soft tissue.-Components:The efficacy of certain growth factors in...
, and that Woods responded well to the treatment.
On February 28, 2010, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that Galea treated New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
in March 2009 and that Rodriguez's rehabilitation from hip surgery was overseen by Dr. Mark Lindsay, an associate of Galea's.
On May 18, 2010, Galea was formally accused of illegally distributing HGH
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
in a criminal complaint filed in Buffalo, New York. The same day, Mike Fish of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
reported that Galea criss-crossed the United States during the summer of 2009, treating 23 athletes with a variety of substances, including HGH
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
.
On July 6, 2011, Galea pleaded guilty to bringing into the United States unapproved drugs, including human growth hormone for the purpose of treating professional athletes. As part of the plea agreement, he is required to cooperate with investigators and disclose the identities of his clients and their treatments.
It was not the first time, however, Galea was found to carry drug banned by professional sport authority into another country. According to The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Australian custom seized ephedrine
Ephedrine
Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia....
from Galea when he arrived Sydney during the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
although he was never charged and was allowed to enter the country.