For years, Dave Palumbo has enjoyed a healthy working relationship with Paul “Triple H” Levesque as his nutritionist. In the past, he’s also been convicted for selling fake Human Growth Hormone and even has a side effect of the substance named after him: Palumboism.
The man knows his way around illegal substances, and while he’s made it clear multiple times that Triple H has not used steroids, his recent comments to Matt Riviera about WWE’s drug testing policy granting some leniency to athletes using testosterone replacement therapy and human growth hormone has raised eyebrows.
“The good thing about wrestling is that because it’s not a professional sport per se, more entertainment, they are allowed to take hormone replacement,” Palumbo told Riviera. When asked if the drug testing would differ for HHH because he’s spending much of his time in the office, Palumbo had this to say:
“You’re getting on that stage, okay, to wrestle, you have to — you’re going to be tested. But the good thing about wrestling is it’s not a professional sport per se, more entertainment, they are allowed to take hormone replacement. So they can go to HRT places, they can get testosterone, you know, 100 milligrams a week, whatever they prescribe nowadays. They can get hCG, they can do hGH if they want. Those are acceptable and a lot of the wrestlers do it. It’s not for me to say who’s using what, but they’re very minimal doses.”
The fact is, part-time WWE wrestlers don’t have to be tested. Brock Lesnar tested positive in USADA’s program when he made his UFC return last year, even though he was mostly exempt from the testing leading up to his fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. And more concerning, hGH and hCG are banned.
For their part, the WWE made a response to Palumbo’s comments that shed some light on how many Superstars were actually using these drugs:
“WWE’s comprehensive Talent Wellness Policy, which is administered by an independent, third-party, clearly states hGH and hCG are among a long list of banned substances, however, due to certain medical conditions, there are a variety of therapeutic exemptions that account for approximately 7% of our contracted talent.”
At only seven percent of the roster, it seems like Therapeutic exemptions for Testosterone Replacement Therapy, or TRT, are relatively low, but what about hGH? The TRT exemptions were recently banned by the UFC, and made Vitor Belfort’s physique change almost fight to fight.
With steroid scandals in WWE’s past rising from the dead whenever these conversations come up, the company will probably want to have a talk with Palumbo, especially if he’s guiding his client’s substance intake with a completely misconstrued understanding of what’s legal to take in WWE.
(Via Forbes)
