Barry Bonds and the BALCO Controversy - Part One
By Michael Williams (7/24/2006)
The Controversy
During 2003, the career of Barry Bonds took a
different turn – perhaps forever. This was the year that Greg Anderson, employee
of The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and Bond’s long-time friend and trainer,
was charged with supplying anabolic steroids to several athletes, including
baseball players. Because of Anderson’s close links to Bonds, the latter came
under fire for suspected steroid use, casting a pall over the baseball star’s
recent achievements. Bonds had just come off stellar seasons, posting career
highs in many categories and breaking numerous records – including Mark
McGwire’s record for most home runs in a single season.
Barry Bond’s attorney, Michael Rains, immediately
defended both the athlete and his trainer. At a news conference, Rains said:
“Greg knew what Barry's demands were. Nothing illegal. This is Barry's best
friend in the world. Barry trusted him. He trusts him today. He trusts that he
never got anything illegal from Greg Anderson." Tony Serra, Greg Anderson’s
lawyer, echoed this view, saying that his client "never knowingly provided
illegal substances to anyone."
When
Anderson was charged in 1993, there was no Major League program for mandatory
drug testing. However, due to widespread calls for better regulation this would
soon change. From the very start of the controversy, Barry Bonds denied that he
had ever used performance-enhancing drugs. His altered physical condition (Barry
Bonds entered professional baseball in 1986, and was listed at 6-foot-1 and 185
pounds. Fifteen years later, he was 6-2 and almost 230 pounds.), he claimed, was
not the result of drug use, but of a strict exercise regimen coupled with legal
nutritional supplements.
Barry Bonds and the BALCO Controversy Part Two
Barry Bonds and the BALCO Controversy Part Three
Barry Bonds and the BALCO Controversy Conclusion |