Feds: Grimsley admits he has used steroids

Jason Grimsley, a journeyman pitcher with the Arizona Diamondbacks, took only two hours to disclose what he surely hoped would remain a secret, and what other major leaguers also wanted to keep private. About two months ago, according to federal investigators, Grimsley revealed that he had used performance-enhancing substances for several years and that other players did, too.

When three investigators arrived on Grimsley’s doorstep on April 19 with the suspicion that he had just received a shipment of human growth hormone, it did not take long before he admitted that he had used anabolic steroids, amphetamines and human growth hormone, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona.

Thirteen federal agents searched Grimsley’s home in Scottsdale, Ariz., for six hours on Tuesday. Mark Lessler, an agent with the Internal Revenue Service, would not divulge what was uncovered. The agents are investigating Grimsley for illegal possession of drugs, illegal distribution of drugs and money laundering of the profits.

During Grimsley’s interview with agents, he admitted to receiving and using performance enhancing substances 10 to 12 times, according to the court papers. Grimsley also named other players who were users, but those names were blacked out in the documents.

Because Major League Baseball has urine tests to detect steroids and amphetamines, Grimsley kept using only human growth hormone, according to the documents. The day that Grimsley had two kits of growth hormone delivered to his home last April at a cost of $3,200, federal investigators rang his bell and eventually interviewed him at another location.

Grimsley’s disclosures seemed to validate the speculation that major leaguers have continued to use performance-enhancing substances even with harsher drug testing in place this season. Grimsley, a 38-year-old former Yankee who was in his 15th major league season, asked for his release from the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and they obliged him.

“I guess I wouldn’t have been as shocked if he wasn’t on our team for a period of time, because it’s somebody you know,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “It’s too bad. I guess with these enhancing drugs, they continued to find things out. Getting to the bottom of it is the most important thing.”

Joe Bick, who has represented Grimsley for 20 years, said that he figured Grimsley would retire.

“I would be surprised if he played again,” Bick said. “Obviously, it’s been very difficult for Jason and his family.”

In an affidavit for a search warrant, Jeff Novitzky, an IRS agent, told Edward C. Voss, a federal judge, that he wanted to search Grimsley’s house for “any and all records showing contact or relationship with any and all amateur or professional athletes, athletic coaches or athletic trainers” regarding the use or purchase of illicit drugs.

Before Novitzky sought the warrant, he wrote that Grimsley had initially cooperated with investigators. Novitzky described how he and two investigators told Grimsley they knew he had just received growth hormone in the mail and offered him the chance to retrieve it and go to another location for questioning. Grimsley, who had guests and was given the chance to avoid the awkwardness of a full-scale search, agreed.

The affidavit details what Grimsley told investigators about drug use in clubhouses, including his description of coffee pots labeled “leaded” and “unleaded” to indicate which ones were laced with amphetamines. He also said that amphetamines were called “greenies” or “beans” and were widely used because “they work.” According to the document, he said: “Everybody had greenies. That’s like aspirin.”

Grimsley told investigators that “Latin players” had boxes of drugs and were major sources of amphetamines. He also said that players from teams based in California could easily buy drugs in Mexico and sell them to players from other cities. Grimsley added that he failed a drug test in 2003, before baseball had punishments in place.

But about one week after being interviewed, Grimsley retained a lawyer and said he would no longer cooperate. Bick, Grimsley’s agent, refused to talk about the affidavit and would answer only baseball-related questions.

Novitzky was also the lead agent in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative case, which involved the illegal distribution of steroids and human growth hormone to dozens of elite athletes.