[sureLoss]

per Katie Strang of The Athletic:

https://theathletic.com/507940/2018/...ts-suspension/

In his statement, Schmidt did not name the substance, the date when he was tested or the circumstances, but multiple sources told The Athletic that Schmidt believes he unwittingly consumed a contaminated meat product this past spring, which ultimately triggered his positive test.

While this may seem a bit far-fetched to a casual observer, this is not the first time such a defense has been made within the context of professional sports drug testing programs. Back in 2016, NFL player Duane Brown tested positive for Clenbuterol, although he was ultimately cleared after the NFLPA effectively traced the positive test back to tainted beef the Houston Texans’ left tackle consumed while on a bye week trip to Mexico. The test prompted the NFL to circulate a memo internally to its players warning about the dangers of consuming contaminated beef. Back in February, MMA fighter Canelo Alvarez also tested positive for the same substance and said it was a result of tainted meat. He later submitted to a hair follicle test that came back negative for the substance, which lent credibility to his original argument.

Internally, MLB also warned its players to be advised about Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is a substance banned by the FDA for use by humans (it is approved for use in horses) but is used in other countries to bolster lean muscle mass in livestock. To a lesser degree, there has also been concern about the substance Zeranol; in June 2017, there was an advisory issued by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency about the “extremely small risk” of encountering Zeranol-contaminated meat in the U.S.