Dr. James Andrews, the highly-respected orthopedic surgeon who has operated on the knees, elbows and shoulders of hundred of athletes over a decades-long career, was accused today of knowingly misdiagnosing injuries in order to rake in huge surgical fees and live like a king in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
The charges have come in regards to an incident in 2013 when Andrews pushed Mets pitcher Matt Harvey to undergo reconstructive elbow surgery, or Tommy John surgery, despite Harvey’s wishes to rehab his pitching elbow without surgery. A administrative intern in Dr. Andrews’ office leaked Harvey’s actual MRI, showing almost no damage, as well as the MRIs of past Andrews’ patients from Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson to Mark Sanchez, Rajon Rondo and Robert Griffin III. Just on the surgeries of those five athletes alone, Andrews made more than $250,000.
“If true, Dr. Andrews is one of the biggest monsters we have seen in the medical profession in quite some time,” said a member of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. “He has cut into young men who trusted him for no reason other than his own wealth. And with each surgery, he took credit for ‘fixing’ athletes who weren’t even seriously injured in the first place, further bolstering his reputation and expanding the scam.”
Dr. Andrews denied the charges this morning when confronted by reporters while leaving his sprawling, suburban Birmingham mansion dubbed Shangri L-ACL, which locals estimate has the approximate square footage of 50 double-wide trailers.
“These accusations are outrageous, and anyone who believes them clearly needs, in my expert opinion, reconstructive brain surgery,” he said. “Feel free to schedule a procedure with my scheduling assistant Sheila. We have great rates going right now.”
Dr. Andrews then got into his Bentley with the vanity plate ACLOL and sped off, his left arm raised out the driver’s side window and his middle finger extended.
Representatives from the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, as well as several high-profile player agents, say they are aware of the charges and are looking into Andrews.
Meanwhile, Andrews has been attempting to schedule reconstructive surgeries on Aaron Rodgers, Sidney Crosby, LeBron James, Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Steph Curry, Patrick Kane, Floyd Mayweather and Michael Phelps for tomorrow morning.
