Nets owner accused in doping bribe

NETS OWNER Mikhail Prokhorov bribed a Russian athlete with millions of rubles to not reveal the elaborate doping scheme that resulted in the country’s ban from the 2018 Olympic Games, according to a new report.

Whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who exposed Russia’s doping scandal after fleeing to the United States, alleged in an affidavit that Prokhorov (photo) paid biathlete Irina Starykh the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars in hush money after she stumbled upon the scheme, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Starykh was caught doping in Austria prior to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Rodchenkov claimed Starykh planned to expose the Russian doping program amid frustration over not being able to compete.

She abandoned that plan thanks to the money from Prokhorov, who then served as the head of the Russian Biathlon Union, according to the report.

A representative for Prokhorov dismissed the allegation as “totally irresponsible hearsay” in a statement to The Journal.

Starykh also denied the accusations. Russia was banned Tuesday from the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea and fined $15 million as punishment for its elaborate state-sponsored doping scheme.