Why not? Baseball’s steroid scandals are packed with high drama, interesting twists, heart-stopping suspense, multiple climaxes, and both appealing and repulsive characters that the most natural thing for producers to do is to turn it into a TV drama! The cable network Investigation Discovery takes advantage of the opportunity, but instead of putting the spotlight on a high-profile player, the producers decide that airtime will be more wisely spent on a retired FBI agent’s story on the matter.

The episode, entitled, “Undercover: Double Life” focuses on Operation Equine, a steroid investigation that began in Ann Arbor sometime in 1989. In 2005, the investigation generated nationwide controversy when then FBI Agent Greg Stejskal (now retired), revealed that years earlier, he had warned Major League Baseball about the rampant use of steroids among baseball players after arresting the personal trainer of Jose Canseco, but that officials did nothing about it, practically ignoring his warning completely.

At that time, then FBI Special Agent Greg Stejskal told the media that he informed baseball security chief Kevin Hallinan that many baseball players, including Jose Canseco who was a heavy user, were using illegal anabolic steroids. Sketjskal said that MLB did nothing to sanction the players and that they simply looked the other way. Hallinan denied that he ever spoke to Stejskal but records showed that the call did take place.

“Undercover: Double Life” focuses on the Greg Stejskal and Bill Randall, the undercover agent who posed as a gym owner that was interested in obtaining steroids for some of his supposed clients. In the show, both Stejskal and Randall are interviewed extensively, while flashback scenes portrayed by actors interspersed with the interviews, showing how they worked on the case together. While Stejskal is now retired, Randall now works in the Detroit FBI office and lives in Oakland County.

Greg Stejskal said that the producers approached him about participating in the show about a year back and then he was interviewed in the Ann Arbor FBI office (where he used to work) for more than two hours. Included in the show is footage of Bo Schembechler, former and late Wolverines football coach, who approached Stejskal sometime in 1989 to inform him about his suspicions that some of the players in the opposing team were using steroids. Retired strength and conditioning coach of the Wolverines, Mike Gittleson, was also interviewed for the show. Stejskal commented that he is glad that Schembechler was credited for his contribution. During that time, he added, Operation Equine was the only active steroids case in the country for the FBI.

Stacy Robinson, supervising producer on the Investigation Discovery series for Towers Production in Chicago, said that Operation Equine was a good investigation to profile due to Schembechler’s connection and the unique undercover work that was done by Randall. The show was shot on location in Ann Arbor last summer for four or five days. Robinson added that the case stuck out as unique because it had been going on for many years before steroids and baseball became a real concern in the public’s mind and way before the scandals exploded in the media.

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