Tennis Star's Landmark Anti-Doping Trial Starts

Tennis Betting Lines

06/19/2007 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Boston law firm has gone to court today to clear the name of Guillermo Coria, a top-ranked professional athlete who was suspended from the national tennis circuit in 2001 after testing positive for steroids. Coria, the former No. 3 tennis player in the world, is suing a vitamin maker for allowing traces of steroids to contaminate the multivitamin he was taking, causing him to fail a drug test at the height of his career. After failing the test, Coria was suspended from play and lost millions of dollars in sponsorships, appearance fees and prize money. If successful in court, Coria will be the first world-class professional athlete to prove that a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs was caused by product contamination.

The landmark lawsuit, Guillermo Coria vs. Universal Nutrition a/k/a Universal Protein Supplement Corp. and G.E.N. Tech, LLC, accuses New Brunswick, NJ-based Universal Nutrition of negligent manufacturing of its Gaspari Nutrition multivitamin and seeks financial compensation. A jury in the Superior Court of New Jersey begins hearing the case this morning and the trial is expected to last two to three weeks. Coria is represented by Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP, a litigation firm based in Boston, MA that specializes in complex litigation and trial work.

In February 2001, Coria, a native of Argentina, began taking regular doses of multivitamins manufactured by Universal and distributed by Gaspari. In April of that year, a urine test issued through the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Anti-Doping program revealed trace amounts of nandrolone, a known steroid, in Corias system. The minute traces were inconsistent with steroid usage and did not have any performance-enhancing effects, but they were enough to generate a positive test result. At the time of the 2001 drug test, Coria was 19 years old, at the top of his game and pegged as the next tennis phenom. The positive test results led to a two-year suspension, removing Coria immediately from the national circuit and denying him key sponsorship monies under his endorsement contracts.

In todays proceedings, Coria alleges that Universals negligent manufacturing practices allowed residue from other products containing steroids to mix with the multivitamins, ultimately causing the failed drug test. In 2001, Coria was able to prove his case to the ATP and his suspension from professional tennis was reduced from two years to time served (seven months). But by that point, Coria had already dropped from the top 30 to No. 200 in the ATP standings.

"Corias suspension could not have come at a worse time in his career. He was in his prime teenage years - key to a young stars development - and breaking into the highest levels of the professional tennis rankings," said Gavin Forbes, senior vice president of tennis for IMG Worldwide. "Though his original suspension was reduced to seven months, that seven months translates to years of damage in the tennis world."

"Guillermo not only wants to clear his name, but also wants to ensure that no other athletes experience devastation and career destruction as a result of manufacturing companies negligence," said William C. Nystrom, Esq., the lead attorney on the case. "Though he can never reclaim the time he lost, he can achieve financial compensation and a restored international reputation."

About Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP

Based in Boston, MA, Nystrom Beckman & Paris LLP is a boutique litigation firm that specializes in complex litigation and trial work. Founded in 2004 by three experienced attorneys from national law firms, NBP has steadily grown to become a "go-to" firm for major corporations, entrepreneurial companies and individuals. Its team of associates, paralegals and support staff are dedicated to handling matters of any size and complexity, achieving outstanding results and exceeding clients expectations.

Wwwipodlounge Tennis Betting News

<< Indiana coach Hoeppner dies
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana University head football coach Terry Hoeppner died Tuesday morning following a lengthy illness. Hoeppner, who was 59 years old, twice underwent brain surgery in the last 18 months. "Coach

<< Tiger becomes a father
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods became a father Monday when his wife, Elin, gave birth to a daughter. Sam Alexis Woods is the couple's first child. "Elin and I are delighted to announce the birth of our daughter, Sam Alexis Woods,"

<< Figgins goes 6-for-6, knocks in game-winner as Angels outlast Astros
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chone Figgins' sixth hit sent everybody home, a triple driving in Reggie Willits with the winning run, capping a rally from five down, as the Angels edged Houston, 10-9, to kick off a three-game interle

<< Gomes, Harris lead D-Rays over D-Backs
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonny Gomes and Brendan Harris both homered as Tampa Bay continued its mastery over Arizona with a 10-2 win in the opener of a three-game set at Chase Field. The Devil Rays are now a perfect 7-0 all-time a

<< Devil Rays' P Jackson leaves game with injury
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays starting pitcher Edwin Jackson left the team's 10-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning when he suffered cramping and fatigue in his right index finger tendon.

Mets aim to stay in win column against Twins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed surprise Jorge Sosa can get back on the winning track tonight when the New York Mets host the Minnesota Twins in the middle contest of a three-game interleague series at Shea Stadium. Sosa, a 30-year-old Domin

White Sox hope to put win streak together against Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try to string back-to-back wins together for the first time in nearly a month this evening when they continue their three-game series with the Florida Marlins at U.S. Cellular Field. In the opener of

Dodgers head north for key series with Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's National League All-Star starter Brad Penny takes another step toward another berth on the mound in the Midsummer Classic tonight, when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Rogers Centre to open a three-game interle

Wells tries to avoid 12th loss as Cards battle Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kip Wells tries to avoid his major league-leading 12th loss of the season this evening when the St. Louis Cardinals continue their three- game set with the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Wells is coming off a horrifi

Orioles sail into San Diego with new skipper >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dave Trembley era in Baltimore kicks off tonight, when the slumping Orioles open a three-game interleague series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Baltimore became the first club in the 2007 season to fire it

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.