Doctor treated Tiger without license to practice in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The controversial physician who says he treated Tiger Woods at least four times while the fallen golf superstar was recovering from knee surgery is now being investigated by yet another agency.
Anthony Galea, a Canadian doctor linked to performance-enhancing drugs who told the New York Times that he treated Woods several times in Orlando, has also become the subject of a probe by the Florida Department of Health.
According to a review of state records, Galea isn't licensed to practice medicine in Florida.
"We're currently looking into that," FDH spokesperson Susan Smith said Wednesday.
Galea became the subject of an FBI criminal investigation after an assistant was stopped at the Canadian border in September and substances that are banned in the United States were found in Galea's medical bag.
Galea is also being investigated by the Canadian Mounted Police on a variety of charges, including smuggling and criminal conspiracy, the Times reported.
Galea could face criminal penalties for practicing without a license in Florida, though it is unclear what probative reach the agency's unlicensed activity investigators would have with regard to a physician residing in a another country. Smith did not immediately return a phone call seeking clarification.
Galea faces possible third-degree felony charges, said an attorney familiar with Florida case law as it applies to unlicensed physicians. State law does not technically differentiate between somebody with no license and a doctor certified in another state or country, although it would likely affect possible sentencing, the attorney said. Doctors are allowed to conduct specialized surgeries in other states via agreements with hospitals or clinics, but it's unknown whether Galea had any such arrangement.
Because of his work with banned substances, Galea's link with Woods has caused yet even more issues for the troubled golfer, who has been losing commercial endorsements and national credibility at an alarming rate since admitting to marital infidelity. Galea says he has never given Human Growth Hormone to any prominent athlete, although he admits takes it himself.
Galea told the newspaper that he recalled treating Woods in his Central Florida home four or five times, drawing blood, spinning it in a centrifuge borrowed from an Orlando doctor and re-injecting a small amount directly into Woods' knee. The plasma procedure is perfectly legal and is supposed to promote quicker healing, although there hasn't been much clinical testing to bolster the claims.
Smith said the department was unaware of Galea's activity in Florida and has just started the investigation.
Galea told the newspaper that Woods contacted him in October and claimed he was still having pain in the knee, but that because of the investigations associated with the border case, he could not make another visit.
