Who Is Tony Bosch? 6 Things To Know About The MLB PED Doping Suspensions And The Biogenesis Clinic Founder's Role

Major League Baseball is in the midst of yet another scandal involving performance-enhancing drugs, and Anthony “Tony” Bosch is at the center of it. The founder of the Miami-based “anti-aging” clinic Biogenesis of America has agreed to cooperate with an MLB investigation that could result in the suspensions of about 20 players.

The suspensions are expected to be harsh. According to ESPN, the commissioner’s office will likely pursue 100-game suspensions for each of the alleged dopers, a penalty normally reserved for second-time offenders. The league considers the players’ alleged contact with Bosch to be their first offense, while statements denying PED use or being connected to Bosch’s clinic constitute a second offense. ESPN claims that league officials have for several weeks had a list of about 20 players who could potentially be suspended but decided to wait for Bosch’s sworn testimony before moving forward with disciplinary action.

But how is it that Bosch, the founder of a single Miami clinic, can wield such extraordinary influence on one of the sports world’s biggest doping scandals? Bosch’s testimony will be the primary force behind any disciplinary action, and the Biogenesis founder has already yielded a wealth of damning evidence. Here are some facts that shed light on Bosch’s role in Major League Baseball’s ongoing doping scandal.

1.) Biogenesis wasn’t his first clinic. In January, the Miami New Times released a comprehensive report on Bosch’s rise from struggling entrepreneur to founder of what the paper described as “the East Coast version of BALCO” — the notorious California clinic at the center of a similar doping scandal. The report traces Bosch’s ascent to founding Florida clinic Colonial Services in 2009. A year later, he rented out the space that would eventually become the headquarters of Biogenesis of America, The New Times reported.

2.) He’s been at the center of a PED investigation before. In 2009, MLB officials confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration was probing Bosch and his father, prominent physician Pedro Bosch, for allegedly providing slugger Manny Ramirez with HCG, a compound often used at the end of steroid cycles. At the time, Ramirez claimed that a “personal doctor,” who turned out to be the elder Bosch, had supplied him with a substance that he hadn’t realized would violate the league’s doping policies. While the Bosches were never charged with a crime, the league slapped Ramirez with a 50-game suspension.

3.) He initially denied having any relationship with the accused baseball players, let alone selling PEDs. On April 29, ESPN asked Bosch about reports that he had supplied PEDs to MLB players. Bosch refused to directly answer the question: “No comment. I’m a nutritionist. I don’t know anything about performance-enhancing drugs.” Later, he stated that he wouldn’t be commenting on any “alleged” relationship to the accused players. “I have no comment on any baseball players, or anybody else associated with baseball players.” He also flatly denied any link to the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, despite the player’s admission that his lawyers hired Bosch as a paid advisor.

4.) He kept detailed records of his dealings with Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera. The New Times ultimately obtained a series of patient files, payment records and notebooks kept by Bosch himself, all of which corroborated the idea that Biogenesis had been providing a variety of illicit substances to professional baseball players. The clinic’s relationship with Rodriguez was a subject of particular scrutiny, with the Yankees star's name showing up 16 times in the documents. According to Rodriguez’s files, which date back to 2009, the slugger had used several banned substances, including HGH, IGF-1 (better known as deer antler spray), GHRP and various testosterone-boosting creams.

Melky Cabrera, another of the 20 or so players who may be suspended, was mentioned 14 times. Biogenesis document entries from April 2012 claimed that Cabrera had “enough meds until May 4,” The New Times reported. The paper also suggested that Cabrera had been supplied with “a cocktail of drugs including IGF-1.”

5.) He isn’t happy with the way he has been portrayed in the media. In an April 29 interview with ESPN’s Pedro Gomez, Bosch gave his thoughts on how he’s been treated in the media since news of Biogenesis scandal broke. “I think there’s a character assassination. I’ve been accused, tried and convicted in the media.”

6.) He eventually decided to cooperate with the MLB’s ongoing investigation. Bosch is reportedly ready to start “naming names” this week in the MLB’s ongoing investigation into alleged PED users. The commissioner’s office is expected to pursue the suspensions of about 20 players within the next two weeks, including Rodriguez and 2012 National League MVP Braun, ESPN reports.