Massage Therapist in Spotlight
for Steroid Scandal

A massage therapist from Oregon has been thrust into the headlines because of a steroid scandal with one of the United States' top track stars. The case involves sports-massage therapist Chris Whetstine and world champion sprinter Justin Gatlin, who claims Whetstine sabotaged his career by using a cream containing testosterone on his skin, causing him to test positive for steroids.

The incident began in April 2006, while Whetstine was working for Nike, Gatlin's sponsor. In an interview with The Washington Post, Gatlin claims Whetstine rubbed the cream on his legs during a post-event massage at a Kansas track meet, which led to his positive drug screen. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has banned Gatlin, an Olympic gold medalist, from competition for eight years, though he can appeal the severity of his punishment in arbitration.

Gatlin claims Whetstine applied the cream in retaliation for an unpaid bonus from 2005. Although he is currently not speaking with the press because the case is ongoing, Whetstine has vehemently denied the accusation through his lawyers and on the track-and-field Web site, www.letsrun.com.

"This is complete and utter rubbish,” Whetstine wrote on the site in July 2006. “Why would I sabotage the best job I ever had?”

During his career Whetstine made his way to the top of his field, working with several big-name clients, including rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, professional golfer Ben Crane and five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones. Fellow Oregon sports-massage therapist Don Butzner has known Whetstine for years and is convinced he is wrongly accused.

“It was shocking to see the accusations,” Butzner told MASSAGE Magazine. “I’ve known Chris for a long time and worked with him when he’s around these athletes. He always uses well-known massage lubricants produced by reputable manufacturers directly from their original container. I just can’t imagine [Gatlin’s claim] could have ever happened.”

Things became even worse for Whetstine in June 2006 at a track competition in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was severely injured in a fight with fellow Nike employee and former high-ranking long jumper Llewellyn Starks. The incident left Whetstine hospitalized with a concussion, broken nose, sprained ankle and dislocated thumb.

While no criminal charges have been filed, Whetstine brought a nearly $4 million lawsuit against Starks and Nike in June 2007, claiming that because Starks was on Nike business at the time, the company should be liable for his actions. The suit also claims the injuries Whetstine sustained in the fight have left him unable to work as a massage therapist.

In August 2007 Gatlin went into an arbitration hearing with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, seeking a reduction in his eight-year ban from competition. The hearing was closed to the public and, as of press time, its results had not been released.

—Chris Towery