don’t have a lot new to add to the story of alleged steroid dealers Richard and Sandra Thomas, who claim they sold performance-enhancing drugs to the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals. But I figure it’s worth listing what we know and don’t know at this point.
- The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, working with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement, seized steroids and other paraphernalia from the Thomas’ Lakeland, Fla., home after learning that a shipment would be delivered to the house.
- Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has repeatedly said there is no evidence at this point to back up the Thomases claims that they sold steroids to the Nationals and Capitals. Detectives from both the sheriff’s office and ICE were caught by surprise by the claims.
- Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League said they knew nothing about this ahead of time. They are now cooperating with the investigation.
- Players from both teams said they have never heard of Richard or Sandra Thomas and they don’t believe their claims.
- Detectives are still collecting evidence, including files on the couples’ computer that might offer clues on where they got their steroids from and who they were selling them to. Richard Thomas has said he imported the drugs from
- The Thomases were arrested for possession of several different kinds of anabolic steroids, plus three kinds of testosterone.
- Drug experts I interviewed said most athletes who are looking to cheat generally avoid anabolic steroids because they stay in the body a long time and would almost always trigger a positive test. Moreover, they said cheating athletes nowadays generally don’t get their drugs from the black market.
- The couple is scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. today.
