Ramirez suspended 50 games for drug violation

NEW YORK — Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile player ensnared in the sport's drug scandals.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star said he did not take steroids and was given medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance.

A person familiar with the details of the suspension said Ramirez used HCG, human chorionic gonadotropin. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the banned substance wasn't announced.

HCG is prescribed to stimulate female fertility and testosterone production in men and to treat delayed puberty in boys.

The 36-year-old outfielder apologized to the Dodgers and fans for "this whole situation."

"Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players' union.

"Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."

Baseball added HCG to its list of banned substances last year.

"It's not infrequently part of the mix of the poly-drug approach to doping," said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency. "It typically is used most when people are coming off a cycle to restore to normal biophysiological feedback mechanisms."

Ramirez's suspension began Thursday. Barring any postponements he will be able to return to the Dodgers — whose 21-8 record is the best in the major leagues — for the July 3 game at San Diego. Ramirez will lose $7,650,273 of his $25 million salary.

"Our game has been run through the mud with a number of difficult accusations and actual situations, such that when you have somebody like Manny find himself in a situation like this it's just disheartening," Tony Clark of the Arizona Diamondbacks said.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig couldn't comment on the suspension because of provisions of the management-union drug agreement, spokesman Rich Levin said.