MLB speaks with Dodgers doctor about role in Conor McGregor’s alleged PED use

Major League Baseball has spoken with Los Angeles Dodgers team Dr. Neal ElAttrache in the wake of a New York Times report that he referred UFC star Conor McGregor to a specialist who prescribed the fighter performance-enhancing drugs.

ElAttrache, who also works as the team doctor for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, oversaw a surgery McGregor underwent after breaking both bones in his lower left leg during a 2021 UFC fight. Though ElAttrache told The Times he did not work with the specialist McGregor saw afterward and did not prescribe banned medication himself, he did write a letter supporting McGregor’s request for an exemption from certain UFC drug policies.

The Times first reported ElAttrache’s involvement in McGregor’s recovery Thursday, also reporting that McGregor was pulled from the UFC drug testing pool but did not receive the exemption he sought. McGregor reportedly used the drugs while not undergoing drug tests.

“I have spoken with MLB and I am very comfortable with the process that the league and I will complete to assure the public that I have followed every rule and regulation in my medical treatment of athletes without exception” ElAttrache said in a statement. “My record is completely clean including in this case. I will leave it to MLB officials to provide any further comment as they see fit.“

An MLB source, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said the league wanted to learn more about ElAttrache’s participation in McGregor’s recovery but that it was not an official investigation. The Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, reported that the league has not received any allegations of wrongdoing by ElAttrache within baseball.

The Dodgers declined to comment on the situation, while the NFL has not returned requests for comment.

Beyond serving as head team physician for the Dodgers and the Rams, ElAttrache has also worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Anaheim Ducks.

An orthopedic surgeon by trade, ElAttrache has treated some of the top athletes of the last 35 years. He performed surgery on Kobe Bryant’s torn Achilles tendon in 2013, as well as Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles surgery in 2023. He also performed Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Tommy John surgery and 2024 shoulder surgery, and operated on Tom Brady’s left knee in 2008 after Brady tore his ACL.

— Fabian Ardaya contributed to this story.