Strange Case Involving Overseas Payments by Chargers Players Now Being Reviewed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials
When Drug Enforcement Administration agents found that San Diego Chargers players were sending sums of money to China, they thought they had a steroid case on their hands. Instead, they ended up with what they thought was a counterfeit shoe case.
In a year that has been marked by NFL players finding all sorts of ways to get into trouble off the field, the strangest case of all is one that might not even lead to any arrests. According to law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation, the DEA recently forwarded a case involving Chargers players to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The DEA dropped its investigation after concluding that the money wasn't going for steroids but informed ICE that it believed the players were making the overseas payments for knockoff athletic shoes that could be portrayed as name-brand merchandise and sold for a profit in this country, the sources said.
ICE officials have been reviewing the case, and it's possible that the probe won't produce any criminal charges against players. Officials from both agencies declined to comment publicly.
The Chargers already have had one player, safety Terrence Kiel, arrested by DEA agents this season at the team's practice facility. They've had another player, linebacker Steve Foley, shot and wounded by an off-duty police officer in an incident in which Foley was charged with drunk driving. It has been a highly successful season on the field for the Chargers, who have a record of 11-2 and are regarded by many observers as the best team in the NFL, but a problem-filled year for their players away from it.
Kiel was arrested in September for shipping codeine-based cough syrup to Texas. Authorities said that such cough syrup sometimes is used to enhance other drugs. Kiel has pleaded not guilty.
His arrest came weeks after Foley was shot several times in the leg and hand by an off-duty Coronado, Calif., police officer. Foley is sitting out the season after being placed on the reserve-nonfootball injury list.
By Mark Maske |
December 15, 2006; 11:00 PM ET
| Category:
Chargers
,
Steroids
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Posted by: cody mccall | December 16, 2006 8:43 PM
Yet again another BS story to try and cause some controvercy.
Posted by: Nice Washington Post | December 16, 2006 10:29 PM
Hey! Where can I get some of those shoes? If they look just like the "real thing" but cost less, then I want a pair. Who cares if they are chinese knock offs! As long as my friends/co-workers are fooled into thinking that they're the "real thing" I want a pair. Or two. Or three. God Bless the San Diego Chargers for making this possible. I hope they win the Super Bowl by FOUR touchdowns!
Posted by: BUM | December 17, 2006 1:20 AM
is this a joke; what sort of journalist would take the time to write this junk. i cant beleive i just read this. i thought it was going to be something of substance. the author should be ashamed, as well as dea. you would think they would be able to decipher between kicks and hits. and to actually pass this off to another agency, give me a break. as for the shoes being knock offs, china is known as the shoe capital of the world, therefore the shoe's prob. = topnotch quality. thanks again for the new found knowledge
Posted by: sang yung | December 17, 2006 11:59 AM
And thank you, sang yung, for that fascinating analysis!
Posted by: Jake | December 19, 2006 1:11 PM
Go St.Louis Cardinals
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The comments to this entry are closed.
It's baffling, isn't it, that a guy who's beaten the staggering odds against him and actually made it to 'The Show' where so many try but so few are chosen--and then threatens to throw it all away by scoring--or selling--this drug or that substance or make a few bucks on counterfeit Chinese shoes when they're already millionaires!!!
I've heard so many times that so many pro athletes have been pampered and praised and fawned over since they were like 11 or 12 years old that they actually believe all the crap they've been told about being invincible and untouchable and above it all. They've done what they wanted regardless of rules because of their athletic skills. One day--soon--the skills will be gone, and what will they have to show for it. No more free passes. Then what?