Three months before Barry Bonds began his assault on the single-season home run record in 2001, the Giants slugger had a positive steroid test, according to his grand-jury testimony, which was unsealed by a federal judge yesterday.
Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco ordered Bonds 2003 grand-jury testimony unsealed, and it revealed the government has evidence of three tests administered to Bonds urine two that he flunked for steroid use, one more than was previously known.
That previously unknown positive test was taken on Jan. 19, 2001, just before the season in which he hit 73 home runs, breaking Mark McGwires single-season record.
Prosecutors asked Bonds about the test that showed elevated testosterone levels indicating steroid use. The test results were gathered during the governments raid of the BALCO offices in Sept. 2003.
BALCO administered the tests. BALCO would take clients urine and blood and have it tested for steroids.
Illston ordered the testimony unsealed and also told the government it must rewrite or refile its indictment of Bonds because of poor framing. The testimony previously had been leaked to The San Francisco Chronicle, but the paper did not report the failed test in January 2001 specifically.
The test contains Bonds initials and his birth date. Bonds claimed to have no knowledge of the tests, saying he thought the urine and blood samples he gave were to test vitamin and mineral levels.
“So, again, let me ask you, in January 2001, do you know why BALCO would have been testing you for your testosterone levels?” a prosecutor asked Bonds.
“I have no idea,” Bonds responded. “BALCO said they were testing blood to check your levels. I just like I said, I never went to BALCO. Greg [Anderson, his personal trainer] just came up. I had my doctor at the house. He came in with the vials, my doctor drew the blood, we just gave it to Greg. Greg went down there and dealt with it.”
According to the evidence the government presented, Bonds testosterone free level came back greater than 5.0. A normal male Bonds age usually has a level lower than 4.3 and the testing can only detect up to a 5.0 level, so Bonds level was higher than can be tested for.
“Do you know why your testosterone would have been according to this result higher than the level the normal range as indicated for males 29 to 49 years? Do you know why that would have been?” a prosecutor asked.
“I dont understand this piece of paper, Bonds said. Ive never seen it before, once again. So, I would not be able to answer that question because I dont understand how that works.”
The government indicted Bonds on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice in November for the grand jury testimony he provided. These failed steroid tests may be the key to their case.
The testimony also shows Bonds failed a test in November 2000, but had a normal testosterone level in November 2001. The test in 2000 showed Bonds failed specifically for the steroids Nandrolone (commonly known as Deca-Durabolin) and Metenolone.
Bonds testified he never knowingly used steroids. Even if he was unaware what the “cream” and the “clear” (undetectable at the time), were, he will have a hard time arguing that Anderson gave him these steroids without him knowing it. Both are usually taken as injected steroids.
Nandrolone is also one of the drugs Roger Clemens is accused of using by Brian McNamee.