Major League Baseball

New York Mets History: Jenrry Mejia Banned for Life For PED Use

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:30 p.m. ET

Fansided, David Hill/FanSided via Call to the Pen

The MLB has the harshest punishments for PED usage of any major sporting league. On this day in 2016, New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia found that out the hard way, as he was banned for life after testing positive for PEDs for a third time.

It is understandable that one could face temptation to cheat the system as much as possible. This is especially true when one considers the amount of money that Major League players make. However, after being caught once, it takes a special kind of person to consider such an attempt after being caught for the first time. Then, after being caught a second time, and facing a lifetime banishment, one would have to consider laying off the PEDs. Unless, of course, one was New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia.

On this day in 2016, Mejia became notable for being the first player to receive a lifetime ban for failing three drug tests for PEDs. Even more remarkably, it was his third failure in a year, as he previously failed tests on April 11, 2015 and on July 28, 2015. However, he was not the first player to have three positive tests, as Neifi Perez did so for amphetamine usage in 2007.

To make it even worse, these suspensions came for using the same drugs. Mejia’s first suspension was for using stanozolol, which also appeared in his second positive test. That second test also contained Boldenone, which accounted for his third positive. Mejia, obviously, did not understand that he would need to use something else to avoid testing positive.

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For his part, Mejia declares that he did not do anything wrong, and is the subject of a witch hunt by Major League Baseball. He admits fault for one positive test, but claims that the MLB engineered his third positive reading, saying they did so because he refused to say who provided him with the PEDs. Meanwhile, the MLBPA did not properly represent him during that appeal.

Sure. At least he can admit that he took PEDs and failed one test, but apparently refusing to take responsibility for his actions is the perfect way to eventually be reinstated. After all, that strategy worked well for Pete Rose, the only other living former player banned from the game. And accusing the league of setting him up? Priceless.

Perhaps the most bizarre part of this entire ordeal is that the Mets and Mejia needed to agree on a contract for the 2017 campaign. Even though he will not earn a cent of that deal, the two sides agreed to a one year, $1.976 Million deal. Ah, formalities!

On this day in 2016, New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia became the first person banned for life for failing a third PED test. Or, as he claims, he became the victim of a conspiracy against him by Major League Baseball.