Tiger Woods' doctor linked to doping probe

A Canadian doctor, who helped treat Tiger Woods during his eighth-month rehab from surgery, is the subject of US and Canadian probes for selling unapproved drugs, The New York Times reported on Monday.

Anthony Galea is suspected of providing prominent American and Canadian athletes with performance-enhancing drugs, according to the Times.

The 50-year-old Galea was arrested in Toronto on October 15 by Canadian police just a month after he was stopped on another occasion at the US-Canada border with human growth hormone and Actovegin in his suitcase.

Besides Woods, Galea has treated hundreds of professional and amateur athletes over the years including Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, Olympic runner Donovan Bailey and NFL quarterback Chris Simms.

He is also the former team doctor for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, the Times said.

It is illegal to import or sell Actovegin in the United States. Actovegin is a drug extracted from calf's blood.

The newspaper says the FBI investigation of Galea is based on medical records discovered on his computer.

The sources did not reveal the names of the athletes Galea allegedly supplied with the drugs.

Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police have launched a separate probe which is looking into smuggling, criminal conspiracy and the selling of unapproved drugs.

Galea has denied providing athletes with performance-enhancing drugs.

Woods, who announced on Friday he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from golf, saw Galea four times at his home in Florida in February and March.

Woods' team called in the Canadian doctor because they were concerned about the speed of his recovery from knee surgery in June 2008.

When contacted by the Times, Woods's agent Mark Steinberg asked the paper not to write the story, "I would really ask that you guys don't write this?" he said in an email. "If Tiger is not implicated, and won't be, let's please give the kid a break."

The World's No 1 golfer announced his leave from the sport following allegations of infidelity which have surfaced in recent weeks.

Galea is known in the sports world as a pioneer in helping athletes recover from serious injuries. The Times says he has developed a blood-spinning technique (platelet-rich plasma therapy) to help speed post-surgery rehabilitation.

Torres said he treated her for a simple tear in her quad tendon but nothing more.

"Excluding draining my knee, he has never treated me, but I did see his chiropractor who did soft-tissue work on my leg," she said in an e-mail to the Times. "That was the extent of my visit with him."

Lawyer Brian Greenspan insisted his client will be vindicated.

"Dr Galea was never engaged in any wrongdoing or any impropriety," Greenspan said. "Not only does he have a reputation that is impeccable, he is a person at the very top of his profession."