Suit Says Coach Helped Purchase Steroids

Former Baylor basketball player John Wheeler filed a $3-million lawsuit in Dallas, accusing former Baylor coach Jim Haller of helping him purchase steroids and inducing him to take the drugs.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, names Haller, Baylor and Haller’s current employer--MBank N.A. in Waco as defendants. Wheeler, 27, and his mother, Nina Wheeler, are listed as plaintiffs. The 7-foot center attended Baylor in 1983-85.

Nina Wheeler contends that steroids contributed to her son’s needing two open-heart operations, one in 1986 and the other six weeks ago; and the lawsuit alleges that the coach, the university and the bank induced Wheeler into signing a promissory note for a car Wheeler could not afford. Nina Wheeler also said her son was given a car when he transferred to Baylor from Clevelend State in 1983.

Wheeler, who has Marfan’s Syndrome, is scheduled for another heart operation on Aug. 16. Marfan’s Syndrome is a hereditary disorder characterized by abnormalities of blood circulation and the eyes, and abnormally long bones in the limbs.

Neither Haller nor MBank officials returned calls Thursday, and Baylor President Herbert Reynolds and Athletic Director Bill Menefee could not be reached for comment.