Former Olympic bobsledder Ian Danney pleaded the Fifth Amendment a whopping 46 times during a deposition over charges that he illegally provided and injected performance-enhancing drugs into athletes.
Danney launched a fitness training business in 2002 that soon attracted many high-profile clients, including baseball’s Justin Upton, and the NFL’s James Harrison and Demaryius Thomas, according to USA Today.
But prosecutors say that Danney illegally imported banned performance-enhancing drugs and even began injecting them into clients even though he is not a doctor.
According to USA Today, “In pretrial deposition testimony July 25, Danney admitted he imported an anti-inflammatory drug from Australia called Pentosan and injected it in at least one client despite not having a medical license.”
It was also revealed that Danney invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself an incredible 46 times during the deposition. Danney invoked the Fifth, for instance, after being asked if he gave injections to Tim Tebow and NFL first-round draft pick LaRon Landry.
Chargers defensive lineman Corey Liuget accused Danney of injecting him with a banned substance without his consent in 2017 and filed a federal civil lawsuit against the trainer. Danney denied performing any injections in that case, but refused to answer any questions concerning Landry and Tebow.
Liuget’s attorneys claimed that Danney admitted having Pentosan in his possession and also admitted he does not have a license to perform injections.
“In the U.S.,” the paper reported, “Pentosan is approved for prescriptions in capsule form to treat bladder pain or discomfort associated with interstitial cystitis. Injections of it are not approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, according to FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh. ”
Walsh also added that the substances are illegal to import into the U.S. even for personal use because the drugs are not approved by the FDA.
In his lawsuit, Liuget claimed that the banned substances found in his blood materially damaged his football career and led to at least a $15 million loss of pay when his contract was re-negotiated at lower rates based in part on the drug violations.
As to other clients, along with the suspensions Landry was handed in 2014 and 2015, another of Danney’s clients, Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Trent Murphy, also suffered a four-game suspension in 2017 all due to drug violations.
A trial on Liuget’s lawsuit is scheduled for Feb. 4 in Santa Ana, California.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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