German baseball player Max Kepler, who was suspended by the MLB for 80 games in January after a positive doping test, has suggested that contaminated meat could have caused his result.
The 33-year-old from Berlin has only been allowed to play in the top North American league again since the end of June.
"The substance was in my sample. I have no idea how it got in there, but I am responsible for it," former Minnesota Twins star Kepler said in an interview with broadcaster Sport1.
He tested positive for epitrenbolone, which is an anabolic steroid found in products sold in bodybuilding shops. But it is also used to promote growth when breeding cattle.
"Our theory ... was contaminated red meat. Because there have been cases in the past that were also won. In those cases, a meat source was found in restaurants that athletes ate at and that contained steroids," Kepler said.
"This could be proven in court. In my case, unfortunately we did not find the source."
Kepler is under contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Instead of $10 million for one season, as he gained previously with the Philadelphia Phillies, he is only earning the minimum salary of $780,000.
"What we earn here is a large amount whether it is the minimum salary or whether it is $10 million. I know where I came from. And those amounts are far more than I could ever have imagined," Kepler added.
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