Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis may have used a banned substance to recover from his torn triceps in order to come back and play this season.
According to a report in Sports Illustrated, Lewis contacted a company to obtain a “a deer-antler velvet extract after tearing his triceps in October.”
The extract, according to ProFootballTalk, “contains IGF-1, which is on the NFL’s list of banned substances.”
Mitch Ross owns the company–Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (S.W.A.T.S.)–and reportedly videotaped his phone conversations with Lewis.
“No,” Ross said. “Under your tongue.”
Lewis then reportedly told Ross to “just pile me up and just send me everything you got, because I got to get back on this this week.”
Lewis announced before the playoffs that this will be his last NFL season and Sunday’s Super Bowl will be the last game in his storied career. Lewis came back from his injury to play in Baltimore’s first-round playoff game against the Colts. Lewis may not have known the extract contained the banned substance.