Barry Bonds Steroid Trial

Case Brief

Barry Bonds originally appeared in court in 2003, testifying whether he and other MLB players had used performance-enhancing drugs during their career. During this initial trial, he allegedly lied to the jury about his use and, in 2011, was convicted on one charge of obstructing justice, while three counts of perjury were dropped. Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was the man known to inject him with steroids.


Barry Bonds: Home Run King

Barry Bonds, shown here in 1989, was noticeably thinner in his early years.

Barry Bonds, son of famed professional baseball player Bobby Bonds, began his career in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a thin, yet powerful, leadoff hitter-- his reputation as a home-run hitter was still a few years away. As his professional career continued, Bonds' power became apparent, as he racked up 33 home runs and earned his first MVP award in 1990, while many Silver Slugger awards quickly stacked up. Barry Bonds was proving himself to be a threatening batter that pitchers feared.

Seen here in 2004, Bonds showed no resemblance to the player he was a decade earlier.

Along with his statistics, Bonds' body mass grew considerably. According to www.reuters.com, Bonds grew from an average 185 lbs in 1991 to 228 lbs in 2001, the year he recorded a record-breaking 73 home runs, unprecedented by any standards. "Fans and critics say the weight gain alone is evidence that Bonds must have used illegal steroids to build muscle, strength and endurance" (Reuters). Suspicion surely arose about Bonds' steroid use, but no evidence was ever come by early enough to charge him during his career, as steroids are highly illegal in the MLB. Still, he maintained his reputation as a slugger, eventually adding up to a total 732 home runs when his career ended in 2007.

BALCO Scandal: Beginning of the end
Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer since 2000 and part of BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative), became entangled in a mess of legal issues when he was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in California of supplying anabolic steroids to many MLB players. Speculations immediately arose of Bonds' connection to this scandal, as Anderson had been  Bonds' trainer while Anderson had supplied steroids to other players. Denying these claims, Bonds said that his massive body shape was due to bodybuilding exercises, diet, and other legitimate sources. On December 4, 2003, Bonds testified to a jury that he did not use anabolic steroids, rather flaxseed oil as a supplement and a clear rubbing cream for arthritis. It was during this testimony that Bonds allegedly lied about not using steroids,  and from which the counts of perjury and obstruction of justice were derived. 


Sentencing
Just a few months before Barry Bonds gave his notorious BALCO trial testimony, prosecutors say that Bonds had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. As a result of this evidence and the conclusion of the trial, Bonds was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice on April 13, 2011. Bonds has yet to be sentenced for the crime, but prosecutors are aiming for 10-15 months in jail; however, due to the similar steroid cases of athletes like Tammy Thomas, a bicycle racer, who was sentenced only to house arrest, it seems likely that Bonds will get the same punishment. 

Bonds leaves a San Francisco court after trial on April 8, 2011.

Contracts in Baseball
In a sport recently plagued by anabolic steroid use, baseball is certainly in danger. It seems that every all-star has been caught using steroids, and the future is shaky. With levels of competition rising every day and outrageous contracts of $25 million and higher, steroids may have the illusion of being a feasible alternative to raw skill. However, the rules of Major League Baseball regarding steroid use, known as the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, clearly state that steroids are absolutely out of the question. When signing a baseball contract, players agree to the terms of MLB rules, and any infraction of the rules is a blatant breach of contract. 


What affect will this case have?
Since the scandal began almost 10 years ago, I have given Barry Bonds' case much thought, and I don't know what should be done about Bonds and other athletes throughout sports. Should his records be swiped away, undoing all of the years of his steroid use? Or do these numbers still count? From this argument arises a key question: Were Barry Bonds achievements a measure of skill, aided in small part by steroids, or simply an exploitation of artificial talent? To be fair to the players who rely on only talent, I believe that all records set under the influence of anabolic steroids should be eliminated, as if the players who set them had never existed. But what do you think?