In the 'Wow, I Never Thought of That' department, the New York Times says that the Mitchell Report may adversely affect the Visa status of foreign players in the USA. Story here.
Ten days ago, Robert Hill sent a memo to clients and other interested parties. “ALERT,” the memo began in capital letters. “Anticipated December Release of Mitchell Report May Have Unintended Consequences for Foreign Athletes.”
Hill, familiar with Major League Baseball and its players, many of whom have been his clients, is an immigration lawyer in Washington. He knows that if the former senator George J. Mitchell names foreign players in his report on steroid use, which is expected to be issued next month, the athletes could have difficulty receiving the visas they need to play in the United States.
Is that true? Do Visa officials avidly read the newspapers and the blogs that beat these issues into the ground (a little self confession there)? The Mitchell people -- looking pretty thorough on this -- looked into the possibility:
A Mitchell spokesman, John Clarke, said Mitchell had looked into the visa matter and had been told that the commissioner’s office “has no knowledge of any player being denied a visa” because of a suspension for a positive test.
Hill, the immigration lawyer, seemingly is falling all over himself to notify the US officials of the possibility (thus enhancing his business??). What a tattle-tail:
In his memo, Hill explained the potential problem: “Depending on the facts alleged in the report in any given case, a named player may find himself denied a visa at a U.S. Consular office abroad, detained and denied admission at a U.S. port of entry upon returning to the U.S. to report for Spring Training, or have an application for permanent residence denied.”...
Hill also raised the possibility of a player’s being considered a trafficker of illegal substances.“I’ve had discussions with consular officials in the last couple days about whether a player who obtained steroids for their own use shared it with other players or put them in touch with people who provided him with steroids,” Hill said.
However, the Times did not look into the reverse possibility: US players could not obtain a Visa/Passport to travel to foreign countries. Really, does the US want testosterone or Clomid users spreading their infertility around the world? As much as everyone would fear poor Neifi Perez could not play next season, fans might start worrying Barry Bonds would not be able to vacation in Aruba or other foreign country if named in the Mitchell Report. This might be disastrous.
More business for the attorneys, it would seem.
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