Hanley not under federal investigation; friend dropped his name to avoid arrest

Hanley Ramirez, the former Boston Red Sox slugger who was reportedly being eyed in connection to a federal and state investigation, can breathe easy.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, a friend of Ramirez's who had been caught transporting fentanyl from New York to Massachusetts in April dropped the slugger's name "to get the cops off his back," the friend's attorney told Shelley Murphy and Evan Allen of The Boston Globe, adding that it "didn't work."

Ramirez is not under federal investigation, several people with direct knowledge of the case confirmed, and the court documents state that his friend admitted Ramirez had no connection to the drugs after his ploy fell flat.

Initially, after being stopped by Massachusetts State Police in April, Ramirez's friend told an arresting officer that a cardboard box in the rear cargo area of his Jeep belonged to Ramirez, whom he claimed he was on his way to visit before calling on FaceTime to corroborate the story. Ramirez, according to a DEA affidavit filed in court, told the trooper he wasn't aware his friend was en route to visit him, and then agreed to allow him to open the box, which contained two grams of fentanyl. Ramirez's friend was then arrested on drug charges.

On Friday, immediately after a report of his alleged involvement with the case surfaced, Ramirez - who was released by the Red Sox in May - denied knowledge of any investigation.

"The reporting on Hanley’s involvement in this matter was reckless and irresponsible. It's unfortunate that one careless, inaccurate story can generate such widespread negative and damaging coverage," Ramirez's agent, Adam Katz, told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "Hanley is pleased to be absolved from wrongdoing and having any involvement in this matter."