The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
http://www.nbc10.com/news/3968552/detail.html
Report: Bonds Admitted Steroid Use
Scandal Rocks Baseball
POSTED: 10:27 am EST December 3, 2004
UPDATED: 10:37 am EST December 3, 2004
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Bonds, a seven-time National League MVP, testified before a federal grand jury in December 2003 and that earlier that year he used both clear and cream substances provided by his personal strength trainer, Greg Anderson.
According to the testimony obtained by the Chronicle, Bonds said he was told the substances were the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm for arthritis. The substances are similar to steroids described from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the center of a scandal.
The report comes one day after the newspaper reported
New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi claimed in his grand jury test
imony that he took a human growth hormone in 2003 and also used steroids for at least three seasons. The Chronicle reported that Giambi testified in December 2003 that he obtained several different steroids from Anderson.
According to the newspaper report, Bonds was confronted by federal prosecutors with documents that he used steroids and human growth hormones from 2001-2003. It was during the 2001 season that Bonds smashed the single- season home run mark with 73. During that three-year period, he belted 164 homers. Bonds has 703 career homers, 11 shy of Babe Ruth for second on the all- time list and 52 short of Hank Aaron's all-time mark.
This past February, Anderson was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute steroids in relation to the BALCO case. His home was raided in September 2003 and federal investigators seized documents and suspected anabolic steroids. According to the Chronicle
, court records show one of the documents showed Bonds was using banned drugs.
nIn testimony cited by the Chronicle, two prosecutors presented Bonds with documents that detailed his use of undetectable steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear." In testimony reported in Thursday's newspaper, Giambi admitted to using the same substances, both of which are undetectable steroids. According to Friday's edition, Bonds was presented with documents dated from 2001-2003 that showed he also used human growth hormone (hGH), Depo- Testosterone, insulin and Clomid, which is a drug for female infertility and can be used to enhance the effect of testosterone.
According to the newspaper, prosecutors told the grand jury among the documents were a lab test result that could pin Bonds to steroid use and apparently schedules of drug usage with billing information.
The Chronicle reports Bonds said he had no knowledge of the drug calendars and other records that indicated he
used performance-enhancing substances. In the transcript, Bonds said he never paid Anderson for steroids and "never
knowingly used them." In the testimony Bonds said he paid Anderson $15,000 in 2003 for weight training.
The newspaper reports Bonds, now 40-years-old, said he started using the cream and the clear substances to battle arthritis around a time when his father, former major leaguer Bobby Bonds, passed away on Aug. 23, 2003.
Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, told the Chronicle he was upset at the leak of the secretive grand jury testimony and said he suspected the government was the source.
BALCO, a nutrition and diet supplement company, is owned by Victor Conte. Conte is the subject of investigations by the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Drug Administration, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the San Mateo Narcotics Task Force for his involvement in money laundering, Medicare fraud and steroid trafficking.
In an exclusive interview on ABC's &
quot;20/20," Conte said he "would guesstimate that more than 50 percent of the athletes are taking some form of anabolic steroids." During the inter
view, Conte also took a poke at baseball's relaxed policy on steroids saying, "I think they still believe there's, there's a Santa Claus. They're not in contact with reality. I mean the program that they put together is a joke."
Conte also said he guessed more than 80 percent of baseball players are taking some sort of a stimulant before taking the field for each game.
Coming off possibly the best season of his 19-year career, Bonds led the NL in 2004 with a .362 batting average. He also belted 45 homers and drove in 101 runs despite just 373 official at-bats. That's because he broke his own record by walking 232 times. His .812 slugging percentage was tops in the majors and his .609 on-base percentage and 120 intentional walks set single-season major league marks. He also scored 129 times, second most in
the NL. Incredibly, Bonds had more intentional free passes than any other major league team. Over the last three years, Bonds has received 249 intentional passes.
It was in late 2003 that ba
seball stars Bonds and Gary Sheffield and track standouts Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery testified before a federal grand jury in the BALCO case. Sheffield told Sports Illustrated earlier this year he admitted to using "the cream" and "the clear" although he didn't know they were steroids.
In his interview with 20/20, Conte said Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, injected performance-enhancing drugs right in front of him.
He said Jones "didn't like to inject in the stomach area. She would do it in her quad. The front part of her leg."
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement on Thursday regarding the article on Giambi.
"This once again demonstrates the need to implement a tougher and more effective major league d
rug-testing program," Selig said. "I have instructed Rob Manfred, Executive Vice President of Labor Relations, to look into this situation and to continue working with the Major League Baseball Players' Association to have a drug-testing program that
mirrors the very effective policy we currently have in the minor leagues. I will leave no stone unturned in accomplishing our goal of zero tolerance by the start of spring training and am confident we will achieve this goal."
Major League Baseball's policy of testing and identifying players went into effect this past season. While the NFL announces suspensions for violations of the league's substance abuse policy, a player who tests positive for steroids in baseball doesn't have to be suspended. That is up to Selig. Players who are suspended will have their names published, but ones who are only fined could remain anonymous. In fact, there is no measurable penalty for first-time offenders, only treatment. It would take a fift
h offense to reach a possible one-year suspension. Also there's no year-round random testing.
In the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2006, the union and owners can sit down and agree to modify any issue, even the drug- testing policy.
Report: Bonds Admitted Steroid Use
Scandal Rocks Baseball
POSTED: 10:27 am EST December 3, 2004
UPDATED: 10:37 am EST December 3, 2004
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Bonds, a seven-time National League MVP, testified before a federal grand jury in December 2003 and that earlier that year he used both clear and cream substances provided by his personal strength trainer, Greg Anderson.
According to the testimony obtained by the Chronicle, Bonds said he was told the substances were the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm for arthritis. The substances are similar to steroids described from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the center of a scandal.
The report comes one day after the newspaper reported
New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi claimed in his grand jury test
imony that he took a human growth hormone in 2003 and also used steroids for at least three seasons. The Chronicle reported that Giambi testified in December 2003 that he obtained several different steroids from Anderson.
According to the newspaper report, Bonds was confronted by federal prosecutors with documents that he used steroids and human growth hormones from 2001-2003. It was during the 2001 season that Bonds smashed the single- season home run mark with 73. During that three-year period, he belted 164 homers. Bonds has 703 career homers, 11 shy of Babe Ruth for second on the all- time list and 52 short of Hank Aaron's all-time mark.
This past February, Anderson was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute steroids in relation to the BALCO case. His home was raided in September 2003 and federal investigators seized documents and suspected anabolic steroids. According to the Chronicle
, court records show one of the documents showed Bonds was using banned drugs.
nIn testimony cited by the Chronicle, two prosecutors presented Bonds with documents that detailed his use of undetectable steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear." In testimony reported in Thursday's newspaper, Giambi admitted to using the same substances, both of which are undetectable steroids. According to Friday's edition, Bonds was presented with documents dated from 2001-2003 that showed he also used human growth hormone (hGH), Depo- Testosterone, insulin and Clomid, which is a drug for female infertility and can be used to enhance the effect of testosterone.
According to the newspaper, prosecutors told the grand jury among the documents were a lab test result that could pin Bonds to steroid use and apparently schedules of drug usage with billing information.
The Chronicle reports Bonds said he had no knowledge of the drug calendars and other records that indicated he
used performance-enhancing substances. In the transcript, Bonds said he never paid Anderson for steroids and "never
knowingly used them." In the testimony Bonds said he paid Anderson $15,000 in 2003 for weight training.
The newspaper reports Bonds, now 40-years-old, said he started using the cream and the clear substances to battle arthritis around a time when his father, former major leaguer Bobby Bonds, passed away on Aug. 23, 2003.
Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, told the Chronicle he was upset at the leak of the secretive grand jury testimony and said he suspected the government was the source.
BALCO, a nutrition and diet supplement company, is owned by Victor Conte. Conte is the subject of investigations by the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Drug Administration, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the San Mateo Narcotics Task Force for his involvement in money laundering, Medicare fraud and steroid trafficking.
In an exclusive interview on ABC's &
quot;20/20," Conte said he "would guesstimate that more than 50 percent of the athletes are taking some form of anabolic steroids." During the inter
view, Conte also took a poke at baseball's relaxed policy on steroids saying, "I think they still believe there's, there's a Santa Claus. They're not in contact with reality. I mean the program that they put together is a joke."
Conte also said he guessed more than 80 percent of baseball players are taking some sort of a stimulant before taking the field for each game.
Coming off possibly the best season of his 19-year career, Bonds led the NL in 2004 with a .362 batting average. He also belted 45 homers and drove in 101 runs despite just 373 official at-bats. That's because he broke his own record by walking 232 times. His .812 slugging percentage was tops in the majors and his .609 on-base percentage and 120 intentional walks set single-season major league marks. He also scored 129 times, second most in
the NL. Incredibly, Bonds had more intentional free passes than any other major league team. Over the last three years, Bonds has received 249 intentional passes.
It was in late 2003 that ba
seball stars Bonds and Gary Sheffield and track standouts Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery testified before a federal grand jury in the BALCO case. Sheffield told Sports Illustrated earlier this year he admitted to using "the cream" and "the clear" although he didn't know they were steroids.
In his interview with 20/20, Conte said Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, injected performance-enhancing drugs right in front of him.
He said Jones "didn't like to inject in the stomach area. She would do it in her quad. The front part of her leg."
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement on Thursday regarding the article on Giambi.
"This once again demonstrates the need to implement a tougher and more effective major league d
rug-testing program," Selig said. "I have instructed Rob Manfred, Executive Vice President of Labor Relations, to look into this situation and to continue working with the Major League Baseball Players' Association to have a drug-testing program that
mirrors the very effective policy we currently have in the minor leagues. I will leave no stone unturned in accomplishing our goal of zero tolerance by the start of spring training and am confident we will achieve this goal."
Major League Baseball's policy of testing and identifying players went into effect this past season. While the NFL announces suspensions for violations of the league's substance abuse policy, a player who tests positive for steroids in baseball doesn't have to be suspended. That is up to Selig. Players who are suspended will have their names published, but ones who are only fined could remain anonymous. In fact, there is no measurable penalty for first-time offenders, only treatment. It would take a fift
h offense to reach a possible one-year suspension. Also there's no year-round random testing.
In the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2006, the union and owners can sit down and agree to modify any issue, even the drug- testing policy.