Phils' Romero suspended 50 games by MLB

Phillies reliever J.C. Romero was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball Tuesday for using a banned supplement.

The 33-year-old Romero, who recorded wins Game 3 and the clinching Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, was not accused of "cheating) but ruled guilty of “negligence,” according to a report by ESPN.com.

Romero said Monday that he bought a supplement from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, last July - and that the MLBPA had told players that it was acceptable.

“I still cannot see where I did something wrong,” Romero told ESPN.com. “There is nothing that should take away from the rings of my teammates. I didn’t cheat. I tried to follow the rules.”

Three months after Romero was tested before a game on August 26, the MLBPA n sent a letter to players that read:

“We have previously told you there is no reason to believe a supplement bought at a U.S.-based retail store could cause you to test positive under our Drug Program. That is no longer true.

“We have recently learned of three substances which can be bought over the counter at stores in the United States that will cause you to test positive. These three supplements were purchased at a GNC and Vitamin Shoppe in the U.S.”

“What’s most important is that I get back my honor,” Romero told ESPN.com. “This just isn’t fair.”

Romero went 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 59 innings last season as Philadelphia’s primary lefty out of the bullpen.