Tiger Woods suffered an injury during a difficult shot in the Masters. His doctors advised him to take a rest and undergo cold-water therapy, and soft tissue treatment. Though the injury is not a serious one, Woods will not be able to play for at least 3 weeks missing the Wells Fargo tournament. It is not yet clear if the number one golfer can go back in the game just in time for the Players Championship on May 12.

Woods Prone to Injury

Based on online sources, Woods injured his left knee but was only classified as a Grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain. He also suffered a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon. Woods’ left knee undergone four surgeries already and it is not surprising that another injury happened. These injuries had led him to a Canadian doctor who is now a subject of a federal investigation. After suffering an injury in the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods sought the services of Dr. Anthony Galea to hasten his recovery from the surgery.

Dr. Galea became famous for his platelet rich plasma therapy which helps speed up recovery time from injuries. This is the reason why many professional athletes like Tiger Woods, New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, Huston Street of Oakland Athletics, pitcher John Patterson of the Washington Nationals, sprinter Donovan Bailey and swimmer Dara Torres availed the services of Dr. Galea. According to authorities, Galea treated at least 26 professional athletes in the US from 2007 to 2009.

Numerous Charges Filed

However, Dr Galea was charged last year for allegedly prescribing steroids and human growth hormones to his patients particularly athletes. He was also intercepted in the border carrying HGH and Actovegin. The specific charges filed against the Canadian doctor were smuggling, lying to federal officials, unlawful distribution of human growth hormone, introduction of an unapproved drug Actovegin into interstate commerce and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

If Dr Galea is not facing these charges, there is a possibility that Woods will again get his services. But this won’t happen now. When Dr. Galea was arrested by the authorities last year, Woods denied that he was treated with steroids and hgh. He insists that the doctor never administered HGH or any PED’s during the treatment.

Tiger Woods countered the speculation that he is also a doping athlete. “I’ve never taken that (PED’s) my entire life. I’ve never taken any illegal drug, ever, for that matter,” said Woods in the Masters last year. The blood spinning technique used by Dr. Galea is not a prohibited method by the WADA and other sports organizations.

Plea Deal Looms

Meanwhile, the case of the controversial doctor is not moving since October last year. Legal experts believe that the defense is unto something and a plea agreement is likely to happen. A discussion between the federal prosecutors and the defense team could be in progress.

A plea deal will reduce the sentence but it may require the doctor to change his previous statements. The federal prosecutors are interested in Galea’s admission that he really treated prominent athletes with steroids and HGH.

If this happens, it will be a big problem for Tiger Woods and other players in the MLB and NFL. Who among these players received steroids or HGH injection from the doctor?

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