Scandal followed baseball coach Lazaro Daniel Collazo's career

Authorities accuse 'Lazer' of turning aspiring baseball players into steroids clients of Biogenesis of America, the clinic in the MLB scandal

HIALEAH, Fla. – A pitching coach whom the University of Miami once noted as being "one of the most respected" in the country was charged in a drug dealing case linked to Biogenesis of America Tuesday.

Lazaro "Lazer" Daniel Collazo played for UM in 1985. He was known for his "eye for pitching talent," his UM profile said.  Collazo recruited for the University of South Florida. He coached UM and Florida State University staff, and the U.S. senior national team.

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Collazo recruited many top names in college and professional baseball, his Miami Sports Consulting profile said. The list included Alex Fernandez with the White Sox, Joe Grahe with the Angels, and John Jay with the Cardinals.

Collazo's career as a prestigious baseball coach started its descend in 2003 when he resigned from UM after 17 years as the Canes pitching coach. The NCAA sanctioned the school for recruiting violations Collazo was involved in.

In 2005, he resigned from Gulliver Prep School after Coral Gables police accused him of dropping his pants in front of high school baseball players. The coach pointed to  his penis and testicles to ask the minors if they "had a set of these or were the equipped with a vagina," the police report said.

Last year, Major League Baseball accused Collazo, 50, of recruiting and referring clients to Anthony Bosch's Biogenesis of America clinic in Coral Gables. Authorities echoed the accusations Tuesday and charged him with crimes related to Bosch's case.

Collazo's attorney, S. Antonio Jimenez, said in 2013 that any Biogenisis documents linking Collazo were confidential medical records, and that Biogenesis had never employed or compensated Collazo. On Tuesday authorities said they had evidence  to the contrary.

United States Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer said Tuesday Collazo would not appear in federal court because he was hospitalized.