Major League Baseball has cleared Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Rams head team physician, of any concerns related to his involvement with therapeutic use of performance-enhancing drugs following an investigation prompted by a recent report. The report highlighted ElAttrache’s role in supporting UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s request for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) involving steroids.

MLB conducted an interview with ElAttrache on June 12, after which the league stated it had no issues with his treatments or compliance with the Joint Drug Program. The league cited ElAttrache’s extensive history of cooperation with MLB’s drug policies and the absence of any related exemption requests linked to him or his colleagues. “We consider this matter closed,” MLB said in a statement.

ElAttrache, a renowned surgeon specializing in sports medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, treated McGregor in July 2021 following a severe leg injury sustained in a mixed martial arts fight. The repair involved inserting a rod, plates, and screws to stabilize fractures to the fighter’s tibia and fibula.

While ElAttrache acknowledged recommending that McGregor consults with a specialist on bone healing and metabolism, he said he did not prescribe steroids nor directly manage the treatment that involved those substances. He stated that McGregor was advised to communicate with UFC drug testers about any medications prescribed by the specialist. ElAttrache also wrote a letter supporting McGregor’s bid for a TUE under UFC anti-doping rules.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversaw UFC drug testing at the time, ultimately denied McGregor’s exemption request. This decision contributed to a rift between the UFC and USADA, with McGregor subsequently withdrawing from the UFC’s anti-doping program and no longer being subject to testing for banned substances.

ElAttrache has gained prominence in the sports world through his work on major league baseball stars and NFL players, including Dodgers pitchers Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Walker Buehler, as well as Rams players Cooper Kupp and Cam Akers. Over his three-decade career, he has performed surgeries on numerous award-winning athletes, counting among his patients 18 of the 29 MLB MVP and Cy Young Award winners from the past decade, including four of the winners for 2024.

The investigation into ElAttrache’s conduct reflects MLB’s careful oversight of medical personnel connected to its teams, particularly regarding adherence to drug policies and the league’s drug testing protocols.