A Dodgers team doctor’s letter supporting UFC star Conor McGregor’s use of a banned substance has triggered a rare Major League Baseball probe. MLB investigators are currently questioning Dr. Neal ElAttrache over his specific role in McGregor’s recovery and his stance on performance-enhancing drugs.

“MLB investigators plan to question Dodgers head doc Neal ElAttrache in the wake of disclosure he supported Conor McGregor’s use of performance-enhancing drugs,” wrote reporter Michael S. Schmidt.

For years, Dr. Neal ElAttrache has been one of the most trusted names in sports medicine. That changed this week when MLB began looking into his role in Conor McGregor’s recovery. While it’s not a formal investigation into the Dodgers as a team, the league stepped in quickly to get answers. MLB wants to make sure that ElAttrache never enabled the use of banned drugs for any baseball players.

The league was worried because he treated Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s biggest superstar, when he was injured, and they are responsible for protecting the sport’s integrity. ElAttrache operated on Ohtani’s elbow back in 2018 and in 2024.

The story goes back to July 2021, when Conor McGregor broke his leg during UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. ElAttrache did the surgery to fix the broken leg and then sent McGregor to a bone-healing specialist. According to The New York Times, the specialist gave McGregor a banned drug to speed up his recovery.

ElAttrache insists he never prescribed any steroids or hormones himself. However, he did write a letter supporting McGregor’s request for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) from UFC drug policies.

A TUE is a special pass that allows an athlete to use a banned drug for medical reasons. MLB is very worried about this letter.

Supporting banned drugs, even for healing, goes against the strict rules of professional sports. If a doctor supports PEDs in one sport, MLB needs to know if he does the same for his baseball players. ElAttrache, who also serves as the team doctor for the Los Angeles Rams, has also treated Tom Brady in 2008 and Kobe Bryant in 2013 for ACL injuries.

He, in a statement, said that he has nothing to hide.

“I have spoken with MLB, and I am very comfortable with the process,” ElAttrache said. “And I will complete to assure the public that I have followed every rule and regulation in my medical treatment of athletes without exception… I will leave it to MLB officials to provide any further comment as they see fit.”

The Dodgers and the NFL are yet to release a statement on this matter.

Why is there a sudden drop in PED suspensions in MLB?

For years, PEDs were one of baseball’s biggest headaches. But those days now feel much further away than they once did. The latest numbers from MLB’s drug-testing program show just how dramatically things have changed.

Back in 2005, MLB handed out 12 suspensions during the first season of its testing program. The problem reached another level in 2013 when the Biogenesis scandal helped push the number of suspensions to 16. Names like Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, and Johnny Peralta became central figures in that scandal.

Fast forward to 2025, and the numbers tell a very different story. MLB conducted 11,700 drug tests last year. Out of all those tests, only two players were suspended. José Alvarado received an 80-game suspension for testosterone, while Jurickson Profar received 80 games for hCG.

The use of medical passes in baseball is also dropping. MLB approved just 57 medical passes in 2025. This is down from 91 passes in 2020. Almost all of the recent passes were just for ADHD medicines. The numbers suggest that the sport is cleaner than it ever was.

However, the case of ElAttrache proves that MLB cannot afford to slip up. Players are always looking for an advantage. The league must make sure team doctors are not helping athletes cheat.

Cases like Max Kepler recently testing positive for the banned drug Epitrenbolone show that the PEDs will always be a threat.