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Sarasota Doctor Linked To Drug Ring That Fed Pro Athletes

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By David Gulliver, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: September 5, 2007

SARASOTA - New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Wade Wilson and at least six pro wrestlers bought performance-enhancing drugs from a pharmacy that relied on a Sarasota doctor, among others, to approve the prescriptions, a New York investigation has found.

The names began surfacing in recent suspensions by the National Football League and World Wrestling Entertainment.

Both leagues attributed their moves to an Albany County, N.Y., district attorney's investigation, dubbed "Operation Which Doctor," targeting Orlando-based Signature Pharmacy.

The investigation has led to guilty pleas from three doctors, including Sarasota's Robert G. Carlson, on accusations they approved the prescriptions.

Carlson pleaded guilty to a minor charge of insurance fraud last month.

In a recent interview, prosecutors said Carlson made more than $5,000 a month by signing off on prescriptions without face-to-face exams of the patients, a violation of New York state law.

But prosecutors declined to discuss athletes involved in the case or which doctors approved the athletes' orders.

A spokeswoman said unless the athletes were New York residents, they did not violate laws.

Investigators turned up athletes' names in raids on the pharmacy and other businesses in late February. They met with NFL officials in March but provided no names at that time, Albany County District Attorney David Soares said in a statement Saturday.

Since then, the NFL and his office "have maintained an open line of communication and have established a mutually beneficial relationship as we both have aggressively pursued our own independent investigations," he said.

The National Football League suspended Harrison and Wilson on Sept. 1 for using performance-enhancing substances banned by the league.

Harrison confirmed he used a banned substance to help recover from injuries but said he did not use steroids. Wilson reportedly used steroids and human growth hormone while a quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears. He said he used them to cope with diabetes and other illnesses.

An NFL spokesman said the suspensions resulted from the investigation into Signature.

"The district attorney's office in Albany has given us three names. All three have been addressed," Greg Aiello said.

He cited the Harrison and Wilson suspensions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers' firing of Richard Rydze, a doctor who reportedly bought $150,000 of testosterone and human growth hormones with a personal credit card.

On Aug. 30, World Wrestling Entertainment said it suspended 10 wrestlers for violations of its wellness policy. The suspensions also resulted from the Albany County investigation, the league said.

The league did not release wrestlers' names, but ESPN The Magazine named six men and said they had links to Signature.

Soares has confirmed that WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, a Georgia resident who in June killed his wife and son before hanging himself, was a Signature Pharmacy client.

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