FAMOUS GHB CASES

Published: Nov 10, 2006

Numerous GHB-related incidents involving high-profile figures have come to light in the years since the dietary supplement was declared a controlled substance. Here are a few of them.

Nick Nolte

The actor was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in 2002 and tested positive for GHB. He pleaded no contest and said he inadvertently consumed the drug in the course of taking a weight-lifting supplement.

Pete Rose Jr.

The son of the Major League Baseball legend was sentenced in May to one month in jail and five months of house arrest for trafficking in GBL — an analogue of GHB — while playing for the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts in 2001. Rose, who faced as much as two years in prison, said he used it as a sleep aid and sold it to his teammates

Matt Munyon

The former Florida State University placekicker was hospitalized in 2001 after suffering a seizure police said “was treated as a GHB overdose.” Munyon denied using any drugs, despite the presence of marijuana in his urine. He was dismissed from the team, without explanation, after the incident.

Mike Fox

Longtime friend and personal trainer to baseball star Mike Piazza and other athletes, Fox committed suicide in 2001 after a lengthy battle with GHB addiction.

Tom Gugliotta

The Phoenix Suns forward went public about GHB use among ballplayers after he collapsed and nearly died in 1999 from a supplement a friend gave him to help him sleep.