Steroids in the News....Again

[IGOTJUICE007]

Just a lil more attention on AAS from the media:

4 Charged in Sports Drug Scandal Due in Court
VOA Sports
13 Feb 2004, 13:56 UTC


AP
BALCO founder Victor Conte Jr.
Four people, including the personal trainer for Major League Baseball star Barry Bonds and an international track coach, are due to appear in a court in California Friday, on charges they distributed illegal performance enhancing drugs to star athletes worldwide.
A U.S. federal grand jury in San Francisco issued a 42-count indictment against the four Thursday.

Among those indicted are two executives of a nutritional company: Victor Conte and James Valente of BALCO or Bay Area Lab Cooperative, a track coach, Remi Korchemy and Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson. No athletes have been charged, but U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft warned Thursday that some could be indicted later.

Charges include conspiracy to distribute steroids to dozens of athletes worldwide, possession of human growth hormone, misbranding drugs and money laundering.

After announcing the indictments Thursday, Mr. Ashcroft said illegal drug use damages the integrity of not only the athletes involved, but also of sports itself.

Several top athletes - including former European sprint champion Dwain Chambers of Britain - have tested positive for controversial performance-enhancing drugs. In his State of the Union address last month, President Bush called on U.S. sports leagues to adopt tougher anti-doping policies.

[BUYLONGTERM]

Jesus christ, give me a break!!!!! Lets legalize it for gods sake!!!!!

[bigdog81]

no joke...
the bigger the players...= the more excitement the sport= the more revenue they bring in...it all works out...
make them legal.!!

[daWhoady]

Stories like these don't bother me too much. It's the ones where people blames crimes or acts of rage on AAS and give the community a warped and skewed perception of AAS.

[johnsomebody]

Now that they caught Saddam Hussein they're going after Barry Bond's steroid dealer? Oh wow, all of America will sleep better tonight!

Who wants four more years of this bozo?

[symatech]

what the **** does ashcroft care about the integrity of sports? hes just jealous cause he looks like **** and his source scammed him

[damiongage]

johnsomebody
Now that they caught Saddam Hussein they're going after Barry Bond's steroid dealer? Oh wow, all of America will sleep better tonight!

Who wants four more years of this bozo?

I'm sure Bush was behind the striod investigation. He probally seved the papers himself and will be the prosicuting attorny. If you think for one minute that he is personally behind this than you need a lesson in the way government works. If you have a problem with the decisions HE makes I understand but to blame him for this just shows your ignorance. But then agsin thats what most people are good at. I'd be interested in hearing some of your suggestions on how he should do things different.

[johnsomebody]

Oh please, the charges were brought by the federal government by Bush's attorney general just a week or so after Bush addressed the issue in his state of the union address. Do you think that's all just a coincidence? Hello?

[IGOTJUICE007]

Update

Busted steroid figures: Arrest the athletes!
Print story AIM story Email story
ROB GLOSTER / Associated Press
Posted: 1 hour ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Attorneys for four men who pleaded innocent Friday to distributing steroids to athletes said it was outrageous that none of those sports stars has been charged.

The government alleged that the four illegally supplied performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of athletes in the NFL, baseball and track and field. No athletes were named in the indictments, though dozens testified before a grand jury last year.
Those indicted Thursday were Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative at the center of the case; James Valente, BALCO's vice president; personal trainer Greg Anderson; and world-class track coach Remi Korchemny, whose sprinters won gold medals but then flunked drug tests.

Conte's attorney, Robert Holley, said the four indicted men were scapegoats.

"It's like going after a fly with a bazooka, and there's a lot of other flies around," Holley said. "Even if they take down Conte, it won't change the system."

Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James set bail at $100,000 for Conte, Valente and Korchemny, and $25,000 for Anderson, then released them on their own recognizance until at least Feb. 27 - when they will return to show they can post their bond.

All four defendants refused comment as they left the courthouse.

Troy Ellerman, another of Conte's attorneys, ridiculed comments made by Attorney General John Ashcroft that such prosecutions are needed to eliminate drugs from sport.

"How do you preserve any of that if you don't go after the athletes?" Ellerman asked outside the courthouse. "They haven't been indicted and they're making all the money, and they're at the top of the game."

Though offered limited immunity in exchange for their testimony, athletes still could face perjury charges if prosecutors believe they lied about drug use to the grand jury. Baseball slugger Barry Bonds, track star Marion Jones and other major sports figures were among athletes who testified.

"Ultimately, action like yesterday's by grand jury members and prosecutors will also be necessary to choke off the sources and supplies of these poisons which can seduce our athletes and disillusion our fans," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said.

Anderson's attorney, Bill Rapoport, said President Bush's mention of steroids in his State of the Union address and Ashcroft's news conference show the case has become politicized.

Federal prosecutors said the accused men gave their drugs code names, wrote e-mails worded carefully to avoid detection and even provided athletes with cover stories if caught.

The charges include conspiracy to distribute steroids, possession of human growth hormone, misbranding drugs with intent to defraud and money laundering.

---=

[damiongage]

one week? Do you think thats how long an investigation takes?besides wether I agree with the fact that steriods should be illeagle or not is one thing and people being prosicuted for breaking the law is another. Sports is their job and a condition on employment is not to use steriods. A condition of my job is not to steal and if I violate that, not only do I lose my job but I get charged with a crime. You dont have to agree with the rules but you must follow them. And as far as the coincedence is concerned, I beleive that he mentioned it because of they investigation not that the charges were brought forward because of what he said. It is a major deal and would be expected to coment on it. It being political is mentioned by a defending attorny which we all know are the most honest people on the planet so we had better listen to them.

[Cowboy Hank]

He owned a baseball team (where'd he get the money for that I wonder) and that's why this is his personal crusade. Never mind the fact that the hypocrite abused alcohol and so do his daughters, it's STEROIDS that are the enemy cause his precious baseball get's a bad reputation.

[DF2003]

Federal prosecutors said the accused men gave their drugs code names, wrote e-mails worded carefully to avoid detection and even provided athletes with cover stories if caught.

what do they mean by avoided detection, do certain words in emails set off the red alert?

[damiongage]

why does abusing alcohol make him a hypocrite? Last I checked alcohol was legal. Maybe steriods are th enemy because there ILLEAGLE.

[damiongage]

don't get me wrong I, like many others would like to see them legalized. It makes no sense to illeaglize things like steriods and ephedrine and leave things like alcohol and cigerettes legal. However he did not make the laws but it is his job to uphold them. And I can understand that people will dislike him for some of the things he does, but they should at least be able to give good exmples, not just name call and throw things out that have nothing to with him or how he runs the country.(i.e. the alcohol comment)

[Cowboy Hank]

You're just being a Bush fanboy. Alcohol is WORSE than steroids, because at least with steroids the goal is self improvement.

The Drug War, zero tolerance etc are Republican policies and their the ones who highlight that crap in their speeches and veto bills that try to weaken them. You don't think Bush has a say in what crimes the Justice Dept emphasizes?

[damiongage]

did you read my post? I agree that alcohol is worse. And the goal with steroids is to gain size and strengh not health, it's more of a vanity thing. But one could argue that steriods are worse because it is a crime to have them where as alcohol is completely legal. So what you are saying is that democrates and indepents don't support the war on drugs or zero tolerance? if so you are mistaken."Bush fanboy" again with the name calling. Is it that you don't have anthing inteligent to say, and thats the best you could come up with? Pretty typical, it seems wierd that eveyone is name calling and complaing yet no has offerd a solution or an actual viewpoint of their own. For the record I am not a Bush fanboy but noone has comented on any of "HIS" policies also lets not forget that evrything has to go through congress first.

[damiongage]

As for bush having a say so in what the justice dept. does. This is why people are appointed to posistions to run these depts. He can not be in control of everything. Do you think everything that happens is ran by him? NO that is why we have dept. heads,secratary of state, vice president, and so on

ps I do like to debate this topic and hope that no is taking any offense. It is all in good hearted fun and not ment to offend anyone.

[Stackertoo]

Watch your ass, Bonds. Dubya is after you!!!

[SilverSiR]

With all the issues that Bush has steroids are the least of his worries. I have $477,000,000,000 other reasons Bush needs to let go of this issue, he shouldnt even brought it up in his State of the Union. It's funny though, Bush use to be co-owner of the Texas Rangers, and profited from juiced up athletes. Boggles my mind how someone so dim-witted can become so powerful. Anyone see his interview on Meet The Press, that was the equivalent of nails-to-the-chalkboard irritation.

[damiongage]

you started out with an inteligent coment and then proceed with name calling bable.
i would enjoy it if you would elaberate on what you think his worries should be about
or offer some Ideas on how to get some of that money went. Or even better where was the money misspent and how should it have been spent. Can you explain to me where it was stated that he condoned or even knew that even 1 of the Rangers were using aas. Baseball players are not very big, infact I know many people that are bigger and stronger than most baseball players and are completly natural. Can you point out with certanty wich players are on and witch aren't? If this was the WWE you might have an arguement. What part of his speech did you find irritating?