Famed surgeon and Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache recently was at the center of some controversy over his involvement with UFC star Conor McGregor during his recovery from multiple leg fractures.
ElAttrache was loosely implicated in McGregor using performance-enhancing drugs after undergoing surgery. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, MLB has cleared ElAttrache of any wrongdoing.
“MLB took our responsibility to conduct due diligence in this matter seriously,” the league said in a statement Tuesday. “We interviewed Dr. Neal ElAttrache last week, covering multiple topics, and he answered our questions thoroughly.
“Based on our interview, the review of relevant records, Dr. ElAttrache’s long history of support for and cooperation with the Joint Drug Program and the fact that no Therapeutic Use Exemption requests of this nature have been submitted by Dr. ElAttrache or anyone else, we do not have any concerns regarding Dr. ElAttrache’s treatment of MLB players, or his adherence to the Joint Drug Programs and related rules.”
The league added: “We consider this matter closed.”
The focus of MLB’s conversations with ElAttrache centered around whether he supported PED use by baseball players. The league’s Joint Drug Agreement has been in place since 2006 and imposes harsh penalties on those who test positive for a banned substance.
ElAttrache performed surgery on McGregor’s left leg in July 2021 after he broke his tibia and fibula during a UFC fight against Dustin Poirier.
McGregor faced a long recovery, which prompted ElAttrache to refer the MMA star to a specialist who would prescribe him steroids. ElAttrache later wrote a letter supporting McGregor’s request for an exemption from UFC drug policies, which was ultimately denied.
McGregor is set to headline UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11 for a welterweight bout against Max Holloway, nearly five years to the day of his most recent fight.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache’s history with Dodgers
ElAttrache has served as a Los Angeles Dodgers team doctor since 2008 and is now their executive director of medical services and senior orthopedic surgeon. He also works as a team doctor for the Los Angeles Rams.
ElAttrache is one of the country’s top sports doctors and has performed surgery on several prominent athletes over the years, including Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, Aaron Judge, Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady.
ElAttrache recently operated on Blake Snell, which involved the NanoNeedle technology that can potentially help pitchers return to the mound in half the time.
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