WWE superstar Roman Reigns is fighting back.
Richard Rodriguez, a Miami gym owner who was arrested last February as part of a $10 million steroid production and distribution ring, said in a recent YouTube video that Reigns, whose real name is Joe Anoa’i, had ties to the operation. Reigns responded Wednesday by releasing a statement to ESPN in which he denied having any involvement with the ring, called Wellness Fitness Nutrition.
“I have never heard of Richard Rodriguez or Wellness Fitness Nutrition,” the statement read, per ESPN.com’s Tim Fiorvanti. “I learned from the mistake I made nearly two years ago and paid the penalty for it. Since then, I’ve passed 11 tests as part of WWE’s independent drug testing program.”
Reigns received a 30-day suspension from WWE in June 2016 for violating the company’s wellness policy. Little is known about the suspension, but Reigns apologized at the time and it did little to impact his status as one of WWE’s biggest stars, a distinction he still holds leading up to this month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
