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Three more athletes have stepped forward to say that Oregon running legend Alberto Salazar encouraged them to take unnecessary prescription drugs to gain unfair advantage in their races.
A new report from the BBC and ProPublica says Salazar, head coach at the Nike Oregon Project, says 17 athletes and staff now report witnessing Salazar doling inappropriate prescription drugs or encouraging their use by runners.
The report says Salazar "gave runners prescription drugs they either didn't need or weren't prescribed to gain a competitive advantage."
A BBC/ProPublica report last week said Salazar oversaw steroid use by former University of Oregon and Central Catholic High School running star Galen Rupp.
Salazar denied all allegations and promises he will soon release a statement that shows BBC and ProPublica sources are making false accusations.
An unnamed former Nike Oregon Project athlete described Salazar, according to the report, as "acting as both a physician and a pharmacy."
Another runner reports that he was repeatedly tested for a thyroid function, without any symptoms, until they found a result that was deemed treatable. He was given a prescription for the thyroid hormone drug Cytomel.
"It makes you feel revved up and good in a pretty immediate way," the athlete is quoted as saying. "It feels like a performance enhancer when you're taking it. I consider what I was doing a kind of doping."
WWeek 2015