Steroids in Baseball

The highly-touted trial lawyer Rusty Hardin made his opening statements last week in the perjury and obstruction of justice trial of Roger Clemens. Clemens is accused of lying when he denied using anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) in testimony before Congress.  One of Hardin’s arguments pointed to the lack of change in Clemens’ physical appearance during the period before, during and after working with trainer Brian McNamee. He claimed this proves that Clemens did not use steroids. [Read more…]

Barry Bonds doesn’t necessarily any regrets working with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Bonds answered reporter questions about the BALCO steroid investigation, the government case against him and his plans for the future after watching a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 28, 2012. [Read more…]

Steroid whistleblower Jose Canseco has been publicly defending Roger Clemens against allegations that Clemens used anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). Clemens is on trial in Washington D.C. on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice based on statements made before Congress in which he denied using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Canseco believed everyone would have confided in him since he was a well-known steroid user. Canseco believed he was “the man” for Major League Baseball players seeking steroid information. And Clemens never asked him about steroids. [Read more…]

Former Major League Baseball first baseman David Segui has been subpoenaed to testify in the Roger Clemens steroid-perjury trial. Federal prosecutors have asked U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton to permit Segui to provide testimony about a conversation he had allegedly had with Brian McNamee regarding steroid use by Clemens. [Read more…]

Brian McNamee, the former personal trainer for Roger Clemens, is the only government witness expected to testify with direct knowledge of Clemens’ use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). McNamee claims to have injected Clemens with anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens’ defense attorneys have worked to discredit McNamee by suggesting that his story of steroid use by the seven-time Cy Young Award winner has “evolved” and been altered “on the fly” over the years. McNamee was forced to admit that he “misspoke” during earlier testimony involving steroid syringes that he saved after injecting Clemens with steroids. [Read more…]

The government’s star witness in the Roger Clemens court case has taken the stand this week. McNamee was Clemens personal trainer for several years who told Mitchell Report investigators, under threat of federal prosecuation and jail time, that he injected Clemens with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. To support his allegations of steroid use, McNamee provided federal investigators with a beer can containing used syringes and needles containing traces of illegal steroids mixed with Clemen’s blood along with bloody gauze pads. These were bizarrely saved in a FedEx box and stored in McNamee’s closet for over six years. [Read more…]

Major League Baseball (MLB) has terminated the contract of “independent” arbitrator Shyam Das. The firing comes three months after Das outraged MLB officials and the entire anti-doping community with a controversial ruling in the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun steroid case. On February 23, 2012, Das overturned Braun’s suspension due to a violation MLB’s specimen collection protocol. [Read more…]

One of the main themes put forth by Roger Clemens’ defense team is that Clemens was such an incredibly hard worker that he could never have used anabolic steroids or performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Rusty Hardin and his co-counsel feel that if they can prove that Clemens has an unparalleled work ethic, they can prove he did not use PEDs. And the government seems to be playing right into their plan. The New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, and practically every other prosecution witness, has testified that Clemens was the hardest-working player they have ever come across. [Read more…]

What was expected to be a shining moment for the federal government in the Roger Clemens trial on perjury and obstruction of justice charges has turned out to be a major disappointment. The government is trying to prove that Clemens lied about his use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) before Congress. The personable Andy Pettitte was supposed to tell the jury that he was certain that Roger Clemens admitted to using hGH during a conversation around 1999 or 2000.  Pettitte shocked prosecutors when he essentially told Clemen’s legal team that he wasn’t sure. [Read more…]

Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun tested positive for anabolic steroids when he failed a testosterone – epitestosterone ratio (T:E ratio) screen after a Brewers-Cardinals playoff game in October 2011. He was suspended for 50-games under the Major League Baseball’s steroid policy. Braun record a T:E ratio in excess of 20+.

Arbitrator Shyam Das overturned Braun’s suspension on February 23, 2012 presumably due to a violation MLB’s specimen collection protocol. A written explanation of Das’s surprising ruling was expected within thirty days as mandated by Major League Baseball’s labor contract. The 30-day window has passed without the release of Das’s statement. [Read more…]