Saints Lehr May be in Federal Investigation

Reports have surfaced that New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Matt Lehr is being investigated by federal authorities for distributing performance enhancing substances, but his attorney has declined that is the case. Lehr's lawyer, Paul E. Coggins did say that Lehr has not been involved in any illegal activity of any kind. Lehr has connections to some who have been convicted in the steroids industry, as reported by Skip Wood of USAToday.com: A report late Monday in The New York Times quoted two unnamed lawyers alleging Lehr is being investigated by the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Texas for distribution of performance-enhancing drugs and that another unnamed player from the Atlanta Falcons has been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Texas.Lehr is a friend of David Jacobs, a trainer who pleaded guilty five months ago to distributing steroids. He reached a plea agreement to cooperate by revealing information, and the recommendation by prosecutors for his still-unresolved sentence is probation.Lehr was drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Dallas Cowboys in 2001, moved to the Atlanta Falcons in 2004 and was suspended four months in 2006 because he tested positive for banned substances. He was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster last season and signed with the New Orleans Saints last month.Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and Jacobs' attorney, Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr. either could not be reached or wouldn't comment on the issue. For more news mentioning the Saints reported by the Biz of Football check here.More recent news from around the league can be found here. Here's what's being reported across the Business of Sports Network: On the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown reports: Reinsdorf Says PED Culture, "Strictly a Don Fehr Problem." On the Biz of Basketball, Nick Kappel reports: Bobcats Trade Stadium Naming Rights for New TV Deal.On the Biz of Hockey, Maury Brown reports: As Credit Crunch Hits, Purchase of Ligntning Drags Out.On Maury Browns' Biz of Sports, Brown reports: My Favorite Team: The '72 Athletics. Posted by Business of Sports staff member and Biz of Football Editor of Content Bill Jordan. (Visit the Biz of Football Author's Page for contact details) more...