Chris Colabello, a former Blue Jay, discusses his PED punishment, which ruined his career.
Chris Colabello, the former slugger for the Blue Jays, tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in April 2016, leading to an 80-day suspension.
Colabello stated in a recent social media post that individuals “who get exposed via a simple touch of the skin on their hand, neck, and arm” can test positive without ever ingesting the drug and that his test results were for trace amounts of the anabolic steroid known as dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT).
He wrote a lengthy post on X saying, “I haven’t stopped thinking about it or trying to find the answers as to how and why this happened.”
“It’s inexplicable how being suspended (for something I would never dream of doing) affected me.” Colabello stated
He claimed, “They made me feel depressed and anxious, which is why I sought professional help.” “They led to a two-year period in my life during which I was unable to enjoy the game I had always loved the most. They strained my relationships and put a burden on my parents and wife that I wouldn’t want on anybody else.
A mere 10 games into his second season with Toronto, the fan favorite’s romantic Cinderella story—rising from the lowest ranks of professional baseball to an AL East title team—came to an abrupt halt and swiftly turned into a nightmare.
Colabello played for a few independent and minor league organizations before retiring from baseball in 2019. He never went back to the Major Leagues.
“I have steadfastly maintained my narrative, and I have never, ever, and could never have compromised the integrity of baseball,” he wrote.
In an interview with Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet, four days after his ban, he said he was innocent and promised to find out how he could test positive for DHCMT.
I was suspended seven and a half years ago, and it effectively ruined my career. I’ve seldom talked about it on social media unless there was something important that I thought others should know. Any articles, radio shows, podcasts, etc.
He stated, “I’ve seen athletes in other sports, like baseball, go through the same things that I did.” “I’ve heard people sob into the phone, just as I did. They’ve told me they were unable to eat or sleep for weeks on end. I have experienced their agony. that sensation of being alone and abandoned on an island where no one would believe or listen to them.