Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 164 - 115: Only an Idiot Would Use Stimulants (Part 2)

Chapter 164: Chapter 115: Only an Idiot Would Use Stimulants (Part 2)

What the hell!

Chen Yu snatched up the newspaper, his brow quickly furrowing in concern.

This wasn’t just some baseless rumor.

The whole thing was started by a guy Chen Yu remembered—the ESPN reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski.

After the Magic’s eighth-seed upset, they continued their triumphant march forward, defeating the Raptors 4–2 and winning the battle of the cousins.

The Raptors’ roster wasn’t particularly strong either; it had taken them a grueling five-game series to mount a comeback against the Nicks.

Other than Carter, players like Antonio Davis, Charles Oakley, and Mark Jackson were all getting on in years.

They also lacked roster depth. Guys like Dale Curry and Morris Peterson were either too old or too young.

Facing a Magic team that was on a hot streak, they were defeated after a fierce six-game battle.

The Magic made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and just yesterday, they even won their first game against the Bucks.

It looked like they had the momentum to complete their Cinderella run.

It was at this moment that Wojnarowski wrote a report titled "Behind the Eighth-Seed Miracle."

He didn’t focus on stars like Hill and Tracy McGrady, but on Chen Yu instead.

In the report, he chronicled the Magic’s entire season, starting from Hill’s absence at the beginning of the season due to a cartilage injury, with a special emphasis on the role Chen Yu played.

It was extremely detailed, even mentioning that Chen Yu had opened a clinic and given massages to everyone on the Magic.

He wrote about everything: how Chen Yu had rushed to Orlando late in the playoffs to treat Tracy McGrady’s back injury, and how he had helped Hill make a triumphant return in the crucial fifth game.

He had clearly done his homework and obtained a lot of firsthand information.

For instance, it mentioned that Houston had learned a great deal from Chen Yu, and it even described magical-sounding treatments like Acupuncture and a therapy involving alcohol-fueled flames.

He then mentioned that with Chen Yu’s help, Houston had the Magic players take a supplement called "Physical Fitness No.1."

The article described it as a specially formulated tea that was bitter but highly effective, ensuring the players had abundant stamina.

On its own, it was just a report about Chen Yu’s behind-the-scenes work in maintaining the players’ condition and helping the Magic pull off their eighth-seed upset.

But his mention of Physical Fitness No.1 caught the attention of a New York Times reporter named Wally Welch.

’Ensuring players have abundant stamina? Isn’t that just a performance-enhancing drug?’

Welch wrote a sprawling report that directly accused the Magic of pulling off their eighth-seed upset only because the entire team was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Just as he was reading, his phone rang.

A glance at the caller ID confirmed it was Stern.

When the call connected, Stern’s tone was grim. "Chen, I need an explanation." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Chen Yu took a deep breath.

In truth, while the whole affair had come out of nowhere, Chen Yu wasn’t worried about himself.

No one knew better than him whether Physical Fitness No.1 was a performance-enhancer. Before he had even decided to use it, he had run tests to confirm it contained no banned substances whatsoever.

What Chen Yu feared was the impact this would have on the Magic.

"David, these accusations are false. I did give them an herbal remedy called Physical Fitness No.1. And it’s not just the Magic; I use it with the Suns, and I even take it myself. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s the equivalent of taking vitamins—just a normal supplement for maintaining one’s health. I don’t believe it qualifies as a performance-enhancing drug."

"In fact, I even had it tested for banned substances before use to ensure there wouldn’t be any issues."

Chen Yu’s explanation seemed to placate Stern, whose tone softened. "Chen, I hope you’re not lying to me. Otherwise, this will be a massive scandal."

NBA ratings had been on a gradual decline. This year’s eighth-seed upset was a godsend, generating huge buzz.

If it came out now that the Magic only pulled off the upset because they were doping, the damage to the league’s reputation would be immense.

After a pause, Stern continued, "Chen, don’t talk to the media for now. They’ll twist this whole thing for ratings. Explain the situation to USADA first. I imagine they’ll be contacting you shortly."

Chen Yu wouldn’t need to take the initiative.

The very next day, representatives from USADA, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, showed up at his door.

Their director, Travis Tygart, had come to Phoenix personally.

When Chen Yu saw the young white man, he could have sworn he saw a glint of excitement in his eyes.

The guy had even brought along a special inspector from the FDA.

The moment they met, he started shouting about sealing the clinic to preserve evidence.

Chen Yu internally scoffed, ’To hell with that.’

’You’re part of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is a non-governmental organization. What fucking right do you have to seal my clinic?’

Chen Yu didn’t give a damn about the FDA either.

’My clinic is operating normally and is fully compliant. Not even the FBI could shut it down.’

The FDA inspector’s name was Jay Paulson. He was in his early forties, with a mustache and a shrewd expression. He waved a hand, signaling for Tygart to quiet down, and then asked Chen Yu if they could speak privately.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yu nodded.

The two men started walking along the path toward the medical center, completely ignoring Tygart behind them.

"Nice place you’ve got here, Chen," he said with a chuckle. "By the way, does Hakeem live around here? Think you could help me get an autograph later? I grew up in Houston."

’Now this is a more professional approach,’ Chen Yu thought.

’Unlike Tygart, who just comes in shouting his head off. Who does he think he’s scaring?’

"Sure," Chen Yu said, nodding with a smile.

Paulson thanked him, then glanced over his shoulder. "Chen, don’t mind him. The guy’s just posturing."

He then went on to explain why.

’So that’s what this is about,’ Chen Yu thought, understanding now.

’No wonder Tygart was so eager, even rushing over here himself.’

USADA was founded in late ’99 along with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and it was still a non-governmental organization.

While it was affiliated with WADA, the parent organization didn’t manage its day-to-day operations, nor did it provide funding.

Their funding currently came from the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy.

To keep their budget from shrinking, they had to find ways to prove their usefulness.

And the best way to do that was to take down a high-profile, top-tier star.

As it happened, Hill fit the bill perfectly.

If they could prove that Hill was doping, they would make a name for themselves across the entire United States.

This was why Tygart was so eager.

"So?" Chen Yu asked, looking at Paulson. ’Where does the FDA stand on this?’

Paulson shrugged and smiled. "It’s simple. You just need to give us an explanation. Personally, I don’t believe for a second that Hill and his teammates would use performance-enhancing drugs."

In other sports, using PEDs to get an edge might be understandable.

But for a basketball star like Hill, who gets paid based on his contract, you’d have to be out of your mind to risk it all for PEDs.

Besides, it was debatable whether they would even be effective.