FHSAA finds no evidence of steroid use by wrestlers, By: Hal Habib

June 14, 2007

The Florida High School Athletic Association has found no evidence that Jupiter Christian School's wrestlers were given performance-enhancing drugs by booster Joseph L. Raich, but the program still must answer questions regarding potential recruiting violations, according to the FHSAA investigator's report.

Those findings were part of FHSAA investigator Troy Pumphrey's 34-page report that Jupiter Christian e-mailed to The Post on Wednesday. Pumphrey also found "no evidence" to support allegations by Jupiter High School that two of its football players were recruited by Jupiter Christian.

John Foster, JCS' chairman of the board, said he expects to send the FHSAA a response to the wrestling recruiting allegations and "our remedial action plan" within about a week. Until then, FHSAA officials won't comment.

Foster was relieved at the results of the most serious issue - whether athletes were supplied steroids or human growth hormone. That question was raised after federal authorities reported finding performance-enhancing drugs in a raid of Raich's Jupiter-based business, the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center. Raich, who has not been charged, is a prominent booster of the JCS program whose sons have been among the Eagles' most-decorated wrestlers.

"We are very, very delighted they found no evidence to link Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center to our wrestlers or our wrestling program," Foster said.

"We're also delighted there was no evidence to show any of our football players who transferred from Jupiter High School were recruited."

It is unclear, however, how the investigation could affect Raich's future connections with the school. Until now, many of Jupiter Christian's wrestlers trained in the off-season on school grounds with the Wrestling Club of the Palm Beaches, which is funded by Raich.

"I would expect a club to resume at our school, because as I have found, club wrestling is very important to all wrestlers," Foster said. "But I do not think it will be through the Wrestling Club of the Palm Beaches."

Asked if Raich could be involved with any new club, Foster said, "Since that goes to the allegations we still need to respond to, I can't answer that. Our response will in fact address the issue."

Although Pumphrey's report represents strictly his evidence and observations - as opposed to the FHSAA's conclusions - among the issues Pumphrey cited:

• One student, who transferred to JCS for this past school year, received a "special inducement" of temporary housing by Raich. The wrestler's identity wasn't confirmed because the school redacted the names of all students in the report sent to The Post.

• The same student traveled to St. Louis and the Bahamas last summer with Raich's family while attending another high school. Pumphrey found no evidence that the student's family paid for the trips.

• That two wrestlers had contact with JCS coaches before transferring to Jupiter Christian, a potential violation of FHSAA recruiting bylaws.

• That a wrestler filed a fraudulent physical exam release form.

"We are in the process of looking into each one of the allegations concerning the contact and determining whether or not there is evidence that would mitigate findings by the FHSAA, or support it," Foster said.

Pumphrey did find evidence of drug use, but rather than performance-enhancers, the wrestler in question was suspected of using marijuana and expelled after refusing the school's request to take a test, coach Robin Ruh told Pumphrey.

Ruh confirmed his 28-year-old son, Chris, worked for Raich for about 12 to 18 months. During the search of PBRC, officials for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported finding steroids in Chris Ruh's desk.

According to Pumphrey's transcript of his Robin Ruh interview:

Question: "What does he do for Mr. Raich?"

Answer: "Talks on the phone and prescribes HGH."

Question: "Is your son a pharmacist?"

Answer: "No."

Question: "A doctor?"

Answer: "No."

Question: "Is your son licensed to prescribe drugs?"

Answer: "Not that I know of."

Pumphrey recounts a telephone interview he conducted with Raich on March 28 in which he asks if Raich provided steroids "to students at Jupiter."

"No, sir," replied Raich, who in April told The Post neither he nor his associates prescribed any performance-enhancing drugs to students at any high school.

When Pumphrey asked Raich about taking a student who later transferred to JCS on a trip to the Bahamas, Raich's initial response was, "Aw, man." Raich explained he took "10 to 15 kids," including students from Dwyer and Jupiter High, on his family's boating excursion. Raich said he pays for trips such as those up front, then has families reimburse him, but Pumphrey reported receiving no proof the family in question ultimately paid.

When questioned on wrestlers' motivation for transferring to JCS, Raich said, "I know the Christian education thing was really big with a lot of these guys."

Raich then went on to charge that students were transferring to Fort Lauderdale-Cardinal Gibbons, Oviedo and Brandon for wrestling purposes, which Pumphrey found curious.

"At every school around you, they moved to wrestle," Pumphrey said. "But at Jupiter, they didn't."

Raich replied, "No, no, no, no. I'm just saying about the moving of kids around from school to school ... I know that Jupiter Christian being a Christian school was probably the primary reason."

Earlier in the interview, Raich confirmed picking up the tab for many of the JCS wrestling program's costs. Raich supported the program, and it's clear those inside it support him.

"He is one of the greatest people I have ever known," Jeff Prescott, an assistant wrestling coach at JCS, told Pumphrey.

And one wrestler, interviewed by Pumphrey in the presence of JCS Principal Rachel Sanders, was asked if he was aware of the allegations concerning Raich. The wrestler said yes.

"What do you think about all of this?" Pumphrey asked.

"I think it's ridiculous," the wrestler said.