Bonds got steroids, feds were told Slugger's trainer said to have given substances to several athletes Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, Chronicle Staff Writers © 2004 San Francisco Chronicle Tuesday, March 2, 2004 ©2004 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback | FAQ URL: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/02/BALCO.TMP San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, New York Yankees stars Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield and three other major league baseball players received steroids from a Burlingame nutritional supplement lab, federal investigators were told. The baseball stars allegedly got the illegal performance-enhancing drugs from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative through Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal weight trainer and longtime friend, according to information furnished the government and shared with The Chronicle. In addition to Bonds, Giambi and Sheffield, the other baseball players said to have received steroids from BALCO via Anderson were two former Giants, outfielder Marvin Benard and catcher Benito Santiago, and a former A's second baseman, Randy Velarde. Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski also was said to have received performance-enhancing drugs. Anderson allegedly obtained a so-called designer steroid known as "the clear" and a testosterone-based steroid known as "the cream" from BALCO and supplied the substances to all six baseball players, the government was told. In addition, Bonds was said to have received human growth hormone, a powerful substance that legally cannot be distributed without a prescription, investigators were told. Agents obtained the information about the baseball players and illegal drugs last September during a probe that resulted in the indictment of Anderson, BALCO owner Victor Conte and two other Bay Area men on steroid conspiracy charges. The information shared with The Chronicle did not explicitly state that the athletes had used the drugs they were said to have obtained. Bonds, who is baseball's single-season home-run king, and Giambi, who won the American League Most Valuable Player award when he was with the Oakland Athletics, have publicly denied using steroids. So has Sheffield. All three declined to discuss the matter Monday. Last week, attorneys for Anderson and Conte quoted their clients as saying Bonds had never used illegal drugs. The information about Bonds provided to The Chronicle was corroborated by a source familiar with Anderson. The source told The Chronicle that the weight trainer had obtained steroids and human growth hormone for Bonds dating back to the 2001 season. That was the year the Giants outfielder broke baseball's storied single-season record for home runs -- hitting 73. "We continue to adamantly deny that Barry was provided, furnished or supplied any of those substances at any time by Greg Anderson," Michael Rains, an attorney for Bonds, said Monday. He also questioned the credibility of the source familiar with the trainer. Other attorneys interviewed Monday answered in the same vein. Sheffield's attorney Paula Canny said, "Gary Sheffield has never knowingly ingested a steroid ... and Gary Sheffield has never knowingly applied an anabolic steroid cream to his body." Santiago's attorney, David Cornwell, declined specific comment but said: "Based on my involvement in this matter, I know that many of the athletes involved did not know they were being given a banned substance." Anna Ling, an attorney for Anderson, said the trainer had "never knowingly given any illegal substance to anybody." Velarde did not respond to requests for comment. Benard could not be reached. Investigators also were told that pro football player Romanowski had allegedly obtained both steroids and human growth hormone from BALCO. Romanowski was one of the early big-name boosters of Conte and his legal supplements, and the linebacker helped draw other elite athletes to BALCO. In 1999, Colorado court records show that Romanowski's wife, Julie, told investigators that the linebacker had obtained human growth hormone from BALCO. An attorney for Romanowski didn't return a reporter's phone call. Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, Santiago and Romanowski were among more than 30 of the world's greatest athletes -- stars of baseball, football, boxing and track and field -- who testified last year before the San Francisco federal grand jury that investigated BALCO and handed up the steroid conspiracy indictments. The names of Benard and Velarde have never before surfaced in connection with the steroid investigation, which has roiled the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and, increasingly, the world of American professional sports as well. The probe began making worldwide headlines last October, after the head of the agency that administers drug tests to U.S. Olympians alleged that Conte and BALCO were at the center of an international sports doping scandal. The scandal attracted the attention of President Bush, a former owner of the Texas Rangers, who in his State of the Union address in January denounced steroid abuse in baseball and football. Then, on Feb. 12, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft convened a nationally televised press conference in Washington to announce the 42-count indictment against Anderson, Conte, famed track coach Remi Korchemny and BALCO Vice President James Valente. The men are charged with conspiring to distribute performance-enhancing drugs, including human growth hormone and a newly created steroid called THG that allegedly had been designed to help elite athletes pass doping tests. All four men have pleaded not guilty. Ashcroft vowed to crack down on steroid abuse, saying it threatens the integrity of sports and "fosters a destructive culture contrary to the values that make sports such an important part of American life." But even as it promised to get tough on steroids, the government took unusual steps to turn the focus away from the elite athletes suspected of using the illegal substances that BALCO allegedly supplied. Early on, the government said it was not interested in prosecuting athletes for using steroids, instead granting them immunity when they were called to testify before the grand jury. The government also has deleted from public court files the names of every athlete who allegedly obtained illegal performance-enhancing drugs from BALCO. Court records show that agents of the Internal Revenue Service and Food and Drug Administration had been investigating BALCO and Conte for 18 months when they served search warrants on the lab and on Anderson's Burlingame condominium Sept. 3. That was when agents were told the names of athletes said to have been provided the illegal drugs. In affidavits that don't name the athletes, investigators allege that Anderson was the link between the baseball players and their source of illegal steroids at BALCO. The indictment alleges that on two occasions, once in November 2001 and another time in November 2002, Anderson distributed human growth hormone to a "professional baseball player." Agents claim that Anderson, Conte and Valente admitted their roles in providing steroids to baseball players -- and in some cases named names. Internal Revenue Service investigator Jeff Novitzky wrote that while agents were searching Anderson's home on Sept. 3, the trainer allegedly told them the names of the ballplayers to whom he had provided illegal performance-enhancing substances. "Anderson admitted that he had given steroids to several professional baseball players whose names I was familiar with from my review of other documents in this case," Novitzky wrote. Another IRS investigator, Brian Watson, wrote that Conte, the BALCO president, had made a "confession" to illegal steroid dealing to elite athletes. That also came on Sept. 3, after agents had raided BALCO and Conte's San Mateo home. Conte, the agent wrote, gave a "complete statement regarding his involvement in knowingly, illegally, distributing steroids to numerous professional athletes." Conte said he knew it was illegal and assumed Anderson knew that, too, when allegedly receiving the steroids for professional baseball players, the affidavit says. Later, Conte is quoted as saying that in early 2003, he had given a "clear" steroid-like substance to Anderson to give to a professional baseball player. The agent acknowledges he was not sure whether the substance qualified as a banned substance under federal law.
In my opinion this is a much bigger scandal than Pete Rose. Basically, baseball's most famous record was broken by cheating. Why is the government covering it up? It's not like these famous athlete's accidnetally became addicted to painkillers following painful back surgery. They knowing cheated for personal gain. The fact that baseball looked the other way and tolerated it, because these sluggers' exploits fueled interest, is even more shameful. The denials are comical. One look at these guys this year versus last tells you all you need to know. Jason Giambi looked like he lost 50 pounds. At least Romo is not issuing Clintonesque denials. Everyone knew he would take broken glass if it made him stronger, and he has never denied it. Sadly, baseball joins track and cycling as sports where who has the best chemist is more important than who is the best athlete.
Can you imagine what Sammy Sosa would look like without the juice? A skinny guy striking out at the plate.
should these guys be allowed androstenedione and norandro?? whadda ya think? are these "supplements" like vitamins? :-/
Those Bonds records are shit. They should be removed. Let Bonds continue to play just erase his stats. Have him start over. Did steroids exist in the days of W. Mays?
McGuire was on andro, a performance enhancing drug. When he stopped using it, his body broke down. One sure sign of someone who has been on the juice and quits....their body usually breaks down and they have lots of injuries. What people don't understand is that steroids are used for healing the body, not necessarily making someone into Ahnold. This ability to heal quicker is key for the professional athlete. Speaking of on the "juice" I have zero doubt that Shaquille is juiced. He will have major physical problems when he retires.
Scientests first started using steroids on dogs back in the 1930's. Then, in the 1940's some believed that the Germans were giving steroids to people who were POW's and were suffering from malnutrition. In the 1950's it was reported that the Russians were using steroids to make their soldiers stronger. Yes, steroids did exist when Willie Mays was around. http://www.steroids-info.com/history.htm
You guys talk about the McGuire's and Sosa's and Bonds' of the baseball world, but how about those "skinny" guys that are infielders??? What's really ironic are the infielders like Rich Aurellia, who in 2001 hit 37 home runs for the SF Giants and has never come anywhere close, only hitting 13-15 homers the past 2 seasons. And yet, even with all of this controversy the Performance Enhancing Drug Policy of Major League Baseball is a total joke! Get caught with drugs as a track and field athlete and you are banned for 2 years!
A skinny guy can take steroids, and if he doesn't life weights he will not produce the muscle mass by itself. However, he will be stronger and more resistant to injuries. Don't forget that John McEnroe now says that he was given steroids without his knowing what they were to help him heal, and he was one skinny dude. http://in.sports.yahoo.com/040112/139/2auun.html The number of professional athletes taking steroids to keep them injury free and recover faster from injuries is greater than the number who only wish to rock up.