{"id":211500,"date":"2025-11-04T10:33:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T10:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/04\/victor-conte-architect-of-infamous-sport-steroids-scandal-dies-aged-75\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T10:33:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T10:33:49","slug":"victor-conte-architect-of-infamous-sport-steroids-scandal-dies-aged-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/04\/victor-conte-architect-of-infamous-sport-steroids-scandal-dies-aged-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Victor Conte, architect of infamous sport steroids scandal, dies aged 75"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Victor Conte, the architect of a scheme to provide undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes including baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Olympic track champion Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The federal government\u2019s investigation into another company Conte founded, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (Balco), yielded the convictions of Jones, elite sprint cyclist Tammy Thomas, and former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield along with coaches, distributors, a trainer, a chemist and a lawyer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Conte, who served four months in federal prison for dealing steroids, talked openly about his former clients. He went on television to say he had seen three-time Olympic medalist Jones inject herself with human growth hormones, but always stopped short of implicating Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"713f6365-e5ac-428b-899d-7a75f1d82180\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.GuideAtomBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"GuideAtomWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;eab35d41-dbe9-4aec-9209-ae22c3b80688&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you\u2019re on the most recent version.&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Turn on sport notifications.&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;\/ul&gt;&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div data-atom-id=\"eab35d41-dbe9-4aec-9209-ae22c3b80688\" data-atom-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-13gln72\">\n<details data-atom-id=\"eab35d41-dbe9-4aec-9209-ae22c3b80688\" data-snippet-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-g1vsnw\">\n<summary><span class=\"dcr-1ypwo6h\">Quick Guide<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"dcr-1fa5dcn\">How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?<\/h4>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-55zfp0\"><span class=\"dcr-3j53am\"><span class=\"dcr-41evle\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"m10.8 13.2.425 9.8h1.525l.45-9.8 9.8-.45v-1.525l-9.8-.425-.45-9.8h-1.525l-.425 9.8-9.8.425v1.525z\"\/><\/svg><\/span>Show<\/span><\/span><\/summary>\n<div>\n<div class=\"dcr-17vpao5\">\n<ul>\n<li>Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for &#8216;The Guardian&#8217;.<\/li>\n<li>If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you\u2019re on the most recent version.<\/li>\n<li>In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on sport notifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"dcr-jkwt9a\">\n<p>Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The investigation led to the book Game of Shadows. A week after the book was published in 2006, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig hired former senate majority leader George Mitchell to investigate steroids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Conte said he sold steroids known as \u201cthe cream\u201d and \u201cthe clear\u201d and advised on their use to dozens of elite athletes, including Giambi, a five-time major league All-Star, the Mitchell report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game,\u201d the Mitchell report concluded. \u201cWidespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Mitchell said the problems did not develop overnight. He said everyone involved in baseball in the prior two decades \u2013 including commissioners, club officials, the players\u2019 association and players \u2013 shared some responsibility for what he called \u201cthe steroids era\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The federal investigation into Balco began with a tax agent digging through the company\u2019s trash. Conte wound up pleading guilty to two of the 42 charges against him in 2005 before a trial. Six of the 11 convicted people were ensnared for lying to grand jurors, federal investigators or the court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Bonds\u2019 personal trainer Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges stemming from his Balco connections. Anderson was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"12688474-00d4-4ebe-bc8f-d3c4d4dd50be\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Victor Conte holds up one of the drugs he sold, at his office in Burlingame in 2003.<\/span> Photograph: Paul Sakuma\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Bonds was charged with lying to a grand jury about receiving performance-enhancing drugs and went on trial in 2011. Prosecutors dropped the case four years later when the government decided not to appeal against an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the supreme court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, Bonds ended his career after the 2007 season with 762 homers, surpassing the record of 755 that Hank Aaron set from 1954-76. Bonds denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs but has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-13\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-av5vqf\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1xjndtj\">The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend\u2019s action<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"SecureSignup\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;newsletterId&quot;:&quot;the-recap&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend\u2019s action&quot;}\"\/><span class=\"dcr-1eusqlu\"><strong>Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on<!-- --> <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\" target=\"_blank\">theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our<!-- --> <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google<!-- --> <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and<!-- --> <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Service<\/a> <!-- -->apply.<\/span><\/aside>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-13\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Bonds did not respond to an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Conte told the Associated Press in a 2010 interview that \u201cyes, athletes cheat to win, but the government agents and prosecutors cheat to win, too.\u201d He also questioned whether the results in such legal cases justified the effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Conte\u2019s attorney, Robert Holley, did not respond to an email and phone call seeking comment. Snac System did not respond to a message sent through the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">After serving his sentence in a minimum security prison he described as \u201clike a men\u2019s retreat,\u201d Conte got back in business in 2007 by resuscitating a nutritional supplements business he had launched two decades earlier called Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (Snac) System. He located it in the same building that once housed Balco in Burlingame, California.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Conte remained defiant about his central role in doling out designer steroids to elite athletes. He maintained he simply helped \u201clevel the playing field\u201d in a world already rife with cheaters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">To Dr Gary Wadler, a then-member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Conte may as well have been pushing cocaine or heroin. \u201cYou are talking about totally illegal drug trafficking. You are talking about using drugs in violation of federal law,\u201d Wadler said in 2007. \u201cThis is not philanthropy and this is not some do-gooding. This is drug dealing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2025\/nov\/04\/victor-conte-architect-of-infamous-sport-steroids-scandal-dies-aged-75\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Victor Conte, the architect of a scheme to provide undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes including baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Olympic track champion Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75. The federal government\u2019s investigation into another company Conte founded, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (Balco), yielded the convictions of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6802],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-211500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athetics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}