The U.S. Department of Justice will not appeal a court ruling that cleared baseball player Barry Bonds of obstruction of justice in a probe over steroids, which effectively ends the long criminal prosecution of the MLB’s career home run leader, according to Reuters.
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The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday formally dropped its criminal prosecution of Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball’s career home run leader.
During Bonds’ trial, other ballplayers, including baseball stars such as former Oakland A’s and New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi, were hauled into court to recount their relationship with BALCO as prosecutors tried to prove that Bonds misled the grand jury about steroid use and his ties to BALCO and Anderson.
In April 2011, Bonds was found guilty of obstruction charges by a federal court jury after he gave a vague, non-specific answer about whether or not he used drugs that required a syringe.
Lawyers from the office of U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said in a filing that the US solicitor general, who determines whether to appeal federal cases to the Supreme Court, decided not to appeal the circuit court decision. He told the jury personal trainer Greg Anderson never injected him with PEDs.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April said that answer didn’t amount to obstruction.
In his 2003 testimony, Bonds admitted to the grand jury he had taken substances known as “the clear” and “the cream” from Anderson but said he thought they were flaxseed oil and arthritis ointment.
“That’s what keeps our friendship”, Bonds replied. The court said the answer wasn’t “material” to the sprawling federal investigation into sports doping centered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2007, Bonds retired from baseball with 762 career home runs, which broke the previous record of 755 set by Hank Aaron. I became a celebrity child with a famous father.
Bonds is the only one of 11 people charged in the BALCO case left without a conviction.
In his third year on the Hall of Fame ballot this year, Bonds received 202 votes for 36.8 percent from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
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Since Bonds is no longer an active player – though some might argue his incredible plate discipline could improve at least a dozen teams even on the brink of his 51st birthday – the announcement means very little to you and me in the grand scheme of things.
