It is indeed a very hard task for the 12 man jury to decide on the steroid perjury case of Barry Bonds. After 3 days of deliberations, the panel has not come up with a decision and continues to ponder on the details of the case. The jury already reheard two pieces of evidences that is centered on Barry Bonds’ injection count. Observers of this steroid case were right when they said it would be the injection issue that will put the panel into deeper discussions. Others also predict that Bonds could get away with other counts but not with his claim that he was not injected by any other person except his doctor.

Jury Reheard Two Key Evidences

The two key evidences were the testimony of Kathy Hoskins, Bonds’ personal shopper and Steve Hoskins, a former business associate. Steve is the brother of Kathy and both were childhood friends of Bonds. Steve provided the government with secret recordings where Greg Anderson admitted he injected Bonds with anabolic steroids. Kathy also testified that she saw, in one instance, Anderson injected Bonds with something.

However, there were some inconsistencies in testimonies of the two witnesses. Steve claimed that his sister confided to him that she saw the injection many times but his sister denied it. Kathy was not able to confirm if the injection is really a banned substance like anabolic steroid or human growth hormone. Steve claimed that he told the personal doctor of Bonds about the use of anabolic steroid of the baseball slugger. However, this was denied by Dr. Arthur Ting.

The doctor testified that he did not recall any instance where Steve discussed to him the alleged steroid use of Bonds. He admitted that he prescribed Bonds with corticosteroids, another type of steroid, to treat his injuries. This drug is not illegal. Corticosteroids can also cause side effects similar to anabolic steroids said the doctor.

The motive of Steve Hoskins is also questionable. According to the defense, Steve reported Bonds’ alleged steroid use when the baseball slugger reported his illegal transactions with the FBI. Steve also forced his sister to testify against Bonds.

Longest Jury Deliberation

Deliberation of the jury in Bonds’ steroid trial is the longest says legal observers. Juries that heard cases in the BALCO scandal did not experienced the same situation in Barry Bonds’ case. The extension is an indication that there is a deadlock or some juries are still holding out because they are strict constitutionalists. Robert Talbot, a law professor in the University of San Francisco, believes the delay is caused by disagreement among the jurors. He contends that the jury knows it is a serious case and they need to come out with a carefully crafted decision. “Jurors are really wrestling with the facts and going over everything,” said Peter Keane of the Golden Gate University.

Mistrial

However, Keane told the media that the delay should not be construed as a mistrial or will end in a hung jury. “You can’t read anything into it. Nobody knows what is happening in the jury room. Anybody who tries to make a prediction based on the fact that the jury has been out for three days is just shooting in the dark,” Keane told the Daily News. The law professor noted that the rehearing of the testimony of Kathy Hoskins is a bad sign for Bonds’ camp. He said Kathy is a very credible witness.

Though Kathy did not prove it is a steroid injection, it could be enough to convince the jury that Bonds lied when he said only his doctor injected him.

Another MMA fighter tainted his career when he submitted a fake urine sample to Nevada State Athletic Commission to cover up his steroid use. This happened before his fight with Brandon Vera at UFC 125 early this year. According to the NSAC, Thiago Silva submitted a sample inconsistent with human urine. An MMA site even reported that Keith Kizer of NSAC tested the urine sample in neutralizing a jellyfish sting but it didn’t work.

Thiago Silva, who is a former welterweight and lightweight champion, made a public statement confirming his violation of the NSAC rules. “We make decisions every day of our lives. Some are good and some are bad,” he said. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will impose a 1 year suspension on the UFC fighter and a fine of $33,750.

Submitting Adulterated Sample

Silva admitted that he intentionally submitted an adulterated urine sample to hide his use of steroid which is a prohibited substance in the UFC and NSAC. “I used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission,” he said. Silva did not elaborate the type of substance or chemical that he used to mask the steroids in his urine. However, many MMA writers consider this move of Silva as absurd since the commission can easily detect if the sample is not genuine.

Injecting Steroids

He blamed his injury for taking steroids because he really wants to fight Brandon Vera. “I reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera. After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada Athletic Commission,” Silva said. According to Mike Fagan of BloodyElbow, Silva could be taking cortisone or other types of corticosteroid because anabolic steroid injection in the spine is dangerous.

Silva admitted that it is his fault. However, this will affect his career in the UFC and his admission is not a guarantee that he can come back in the octagon. Some of the fighters who are also involved in the use of anabolic steroids are having a hard time coming back.

Taking Full Responsibility

Though he realized that it was a big mistake, the fighter has no other choice but to accept any sanction that will be given by the athletic commission. “I have since learned that it may have even been possible to fight had I been open and honest and disclosed the injury and treatment prior to the fight. I also realize that not being allowed to fight as a result of the treatment would have been a better result than the mess into which I have now gotten myself,” Silva said in a statement. Let’s just hope that he will learn from his mistakes.

Thiago Silva could be facing the same fate with Josh Barnett or Chael Sonnen. Barnett had a difficult time applying for a license after his steroid suspension. Sonnen is also facing the same situation because of his previous allegation that he talked to NSAC about his testosterone therapy. And the worst is being tagged as a steroid cheat.

Federal and local law enforcement agencies are continuously doing their best to curtail the illegal importation of steroids. Anabolic steroids are controlled substances that are regulated by the government. It should only be used for specific medical conditions. However, the presence of internet makes it hard for the authorities to control purchases of steroids from other countries.

In the investigation of the Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement authorities, the bulk of steroid being sold in the country comes from China. According to DEA spokesperson Rusty Payne, the steroids are imported from European countries like United Kingdom, Germany and Eastern Europe. “But most of them come from China,” Payne told the NewsTimes.

This information is backed up by a thorough investigation by the DEA which started in 2007. The “Operation Raw Deal,” which is considered as the most successful operation of the DEA against anabolic steroids, nabbed more than 50 steroid laboratories in the country. The investigation also led them to steroid operators in Mexico and Canada. All of these improvised laboratories get their raw materials from China.

The Real Danger

The DEA said the anabolic steroids purchased from China are in dry powder so it must undergo into another process. However, the great danger is on how these steroids are made into finished products. The improvised laboratories were usually set up in basement or unsanitized rooms. According to Payne, The raw materials are mixed in the sink or bathtubs.

Don Hooton, the founder of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, detailed why buying steroids from China could put the users at great health risks. He agreed that most of the steroids are coming from China but the quality is questionable. “There’s one study that showed 21 percent of what was sold from China had lead, mercury, tin or arsenic in it,” said Hooton, who devotes much of his time educating young student athletes from the dangers of anabolic steroids. His son committed suicide because of steroid use. The lack of strict government regulations on steroids is also a problem in China.

Another horrifying fact about underground laboratories in the country is the way they manufacture these steroids. The raw materials imported from China were usually mixed with oils (any oil). “It can be Wesson oil, peanut oil, sesame oil. We found it mixed with motor oil on the West Coast,” Hooton said.

The Type of Users

While professional athletes buy from legitimate supplement stores, students and other people who just want to improve their image tend to buy from illegal dealers and acquaintances. And these are the dangerous steroids which could harm them. It is a fact that steroid dealers targets students and amateur athletes because these are the people who hide their use of performance enhancing drugs. The case of Mark Mansa, a steroid dealer in Danbury, CT, revealed that majority of his clients were student athletes and bodybuilders.

This is the problem of most sports officials in the different schools around the country. They know that steroids are there but they have a difficult task in identifying steroid users. “It is around, but we just don’t know how much or where. Nobody knows that,” said an athletic director.

World champion skier decided to retire from his sport after he was caught using human growth hormone. Estonian skier Andrus Veerpalu ended his career in late February after the positive test came out in January. At the age of 40, Veerpalu is considered as one of the best skier in the world. He competed in 6 Winter Olympics and has earned gold medals in the classical 15-kilometer competition at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics.

In 2009, Andrus Veerpalu became the oldest world champion in the 15 km classical event and the oldest Olympic champion in individual distance. Aside from these achievements, the Estonian skier won the gold medal in FIS Nordic World Ski Championships at Liberec in 2009. He got the gold in the 30 km at Lahti competition in 2001 and silver at the 50 km in 1999 at Ramsau. He also dominated the Holmenkollen ski festival in 2003 and 2005. In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Veerpalu competed in the Men’s 50 km. Mass Start Classic where he finished 6th place.

Veerpalu is the fourth Estonian to win 2 Olympic gold medals and the first Estonian to win Holmenkollen medal in 2005.

A and B Sample Positive for HGH

However, these achievements were tainted by his positive drug test for HGH in January. The Estonian Ski Association said Veerpalu’s positive test came when he was preparing for the Nordic world championships in February. The association’s spokesman Juri Jarv said both the A and B samples returned positive for HGH. The samples were sent to an accredited WADA laboratory.

Veerpalu recently told the media that he is innocent of doping. After appealing the case to the FIS, he is now planning to seek help from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. According to Estonian biochemistry doctors Jüri Laasik and Juhan Sedman, the high levels of HGH in Veerpalu’s system could be due to his training. He was tested immediately after an extremely hard training session where the level of HGH is naturally high. They also contend that there is no reliable method that can distinguish artificial HGH from the natural hormone in the body.

Steroid Stanozolol Found in Hungarian and Chilean Champions

Two more professional athletes who have recently won in their respective sports failed an anti-doping test. Hungarian judoist Attila Ungvari tested positive for the steroid stanozolol after competing in 73-kilogram division at the World Cup in Budapest in February. He won gold in that competition. The Hungarian Judo Association said that the B sample also returned positive for the substance. Ungvari also failed a steroid test in a competition in Baku, Azerbaijan last January.

The Hungarian judoka champion insists that he did not knowingly use the steroid. The judo champion and his coach submitted themselves to a lie detector test to prove their innocence. The association believes Ungvari’s claim which could prevent a possible two year suspension. He is a 4-time national champion and a bronze medalist in the 2010 European Championships in Vienna. Ungvari is the first Hungarian joduka who failed in a steroid test.

The International Cycling Union also confirmed that 2011 Tour of Chile winner Marco Arriagada tested positive for steroid stanozolol. Arriagada already told the media about his failed steroid test last month and vowed to clear his name. According to UCI, the other riders tested positive in the Tour of Chile were Chilean Jose Medina Andrade and Alfredo Lucero of Argentina. These players can ask for a confirmatory test if they are not satisfied with the result. The samples were analyzed in a laboratory accredited by the world Anti-Doping Agency in Los Angeles.

Cyclist Marco Arriagada is a 3-time champion in the Tour of Chile and a 4-time national time-trial champion.

The end of the trial could be a great relief for witnesses called in the steroid trial of America’s home run king, Barry Bonds. However, the prosecutors and the defense are still tensed on the possible outcome of the case. Both parties have fought the perjury case of Barry Bonds for years and the final judgment is crucial for both of them. A conviction of Bary Bonds will be a great achievement on the part of the government because of the criticism they received for hunting the home run king for lying.

The Closing Arguments

In the closing argument, a prosecutor insists that Bonds lied about his steroid use because it would tinge his accomplishments and damage his career. “His secret was so powerful that he couldn’t admit it, wouldn’t admit it,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nedrow told the jury.

On the other hand, defense lawyers asked the jurors to acquit Barry Bonds because of a technical oversight committed by the prosecutors. They also reiterated that Bonds cooperated fully during the investigation and he told the truth about his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. Bonds’ lawyers said that Bonds admitted he received performance enhancing drug from Anderson but he never knew it contains a banned substance. Anderson told him that it was flaxseed oil but it turned out that it was one of the designer steroids from BALCO. But prosecutor Nedrow argued that it was implausible Bonds didn’t really know what they were.

Defense lawyer Arguedas also lambasted the prosecution for using witnesses with alleged criminal liabilities. She said the government ignored the crimes committed by some witnesses in exchange for their testimonies against Bonds. “They will forgive it if that person will say something bad about Barry Bonds,” she said.

Steve Hoskins was fired by Barry Bonds for allegedly falsifying his signature in a memorabilia while Kimberly Bell was involved in a mortgage fraud said the defense lawyers. Both are considered key witnesses of the prosecution. Moreover, the two witnesses never witnessed Bonds was injected with anabolic steroids.

The Juries

The juries requested to rehear the testimony of Kathy Hoskins who told the court that she saw Anderson injected Bonds with a substance. They also heard the secret recording of Anderson discussing the alleged use of steroids by the former San Francisco Giants.

After a full day of deliberations, the 12-man jury has not reached a verdict yet and will reconvene on April 11. They will be deciding whether Bonds made false statements regarding his use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. Another one is Bonds’ claim that he never received injections from anyone except his doctor. The jury will also determine if Bonds’ statements impeded the grand jury in making their decisions.

The Judge

Based on previous cases handled by Judge Susan Illston, professional athletes who were charged with similar offenses were not given jail terms. Olympic cyclist Tammy Thomas was sentenced to house arrest for lying about steroids to a grand jury. Athletics coach Trevor Graham, who was found guilty of misleading investigators, was also sentenced to house arrest. Both of them were defendants in the BALCO scandal. Barry Bonds is the last high profile athlete charged because of his connection with the Bay Area Lab that provided pro athletes with designer steroids.

Baseball fanatics following the steroid case of home run king Barry Bonds will be hearing the verdict soon. On Wednesday, the defense team decided to rest their case by not presenting witnesses. A legal expert said that it is an indication that the defense team is satisfied with how the trial proceeded. “Calling no witnesses suggests that the defense is relatively satisfied at this point in the trial and did not want to embrace the risk that is always inherent when you start presenting your own witnesses,” William Keane told the California Watch.

The steroid perjury trial which only lasted more than two weeks has been centered on witnesses of the prosecution. The defendant, Barry Bonds, did not submit himself for further questioning. At the start of the trial, the defense lawyers told the court that they will be presenting at least 6 witnesses including Bonds’ former lawyers Michael Rains and Laura Enos. Harvey Shields, Bonds’ former stretching trainer, is supposed to testify for the baseball slugger.

One More Charge Dropped

In the final stretch of the trial, the prosecution was forced to drop another charge against Bonds. Judge Susan Illston told them that they failed to present sufficient evidences related to the charge. The judge dismissed indictment number four where it states that Barry Bonds lied when he said Greg Anderson had never provided him with anything other than vitamins before the year 2003. There is no significant evidence that says Bonds used the designer steroids “the cream” and “the clear” prior to 2003. These drugs were identified later as THG and a testosterone preparation.

It now leaves Bonds’ lawyers an easier fight with just 3 counts of lying under oath and one count of obstruction of justice to handle. In Keane’s opinion, the defense should worry on the indictment concerning Bonds’ denial that he never received an injection from anyone except from his physician. The former assistant of Bonds, Kathy Hoskins, told the jury that she saw Bonds was injected with something in 2002 by Greg Anderson.

Government Witnesses

In the course of the trial, the government already called 12 witnesses including their key witness Kimberly Bell. Other witnesses were baseball players, an anti-doping scientist, BALCO lead investigator Jeff Novitski, MLB staff, Bonds’ doctor, and former business partner Steve Hoskins. Most of them have no direct accounts on the alleged steroid use of Barry Bonds. An exception is the testimony of Steve Hoskins because of his recorded conversation with Bonds’ former trainer Greg Anderson. Anderson allegedly confided to him about giving the home run king with steroids.

However, the defense has been able to counter or break the credibility of these witnesses. Steve Hoskins and Kimberly Bell might be testifying against Bonds because of other motives. Both of them had a bitter relationship with the baseball slugger. For example, a lawyer of Bonds was able to show that Bell’s testimony contradicts with her previous statements. Bell testified that she observed several changes on Bonds’ body like acne, baldness and shrinking testicles. All of them were side effects of taking steroids.

Evidence of Positive Steroid Test

The prosecutors presented a positive drug test of Barry Bonds. The record was taken from the MLB’s initial steroid testing program in 2003 where the slugger was caught using the designer steroid “the clear” and clomid, a female fertility drug used to counter the side effects of steroids. Portion of the taped conversation between Steve Hoskins and Greg Anderson was also heard by the jury.

Former Trainer Still in Jail

Greg Anderson was cited for contempt after he refused to testify against the baseball slugger. His lawyer immediately asked for his release after the defense rested their case. However, the prosecution counters that motion. According to Assistant US Attorney Merry Chan, they are still hoping that Anderson would come out and testify and tell the truth to the jury. Anderson is the only person who can attest whether Bonds really used steroids and knows about it. Bonds is firm that he did not knowingly use anabolic steroids. He contends that he was only given vitamin injections, flaxseed oil and creams to treat arthritis.

Closing Argument

At the closing argument on Thursday, both parties will be given at least three hours to finally convince the jury. After that, the case will be turned over to the jurors for deliberation. The jury is composed of 4 men and 8 women.