Last week John Ashcroft answered the question. In a televised press conference, the attorney general announced a sweeping 42-count indictment against four men, charging them with conspiracy in a major doping ring. The names Ashcroft read out are well-known, if controversial, figures only within the sports world: Victor Conte and James Valente, top executives of BALCO, a San Francisco-area sports-supplement company whose roster of clients includes some of the country’s top athletes; Greg Anderson, the trainer of baseball great Barry Bonds; and renowned track coach Remi Korchemny. (All of the indicted men have pleaded not guilty.) According to the indictment, the men allegedly supplied athletes with banned supplements, such as human-growth hormone and synthetic steroids, including a potent new strength enhancer, tetrahydrogestrinone. THG, as it’s called, was particularly sought after, because until recently it didn’t show up on drug-screening tests.
Ashcroft’s announcement didn’t come as a complete surprise. The Feds had been tracking the alleged doping ring for nearly two years–and they weren’t always quiet about it. Last fall agents made highly publicized raids, turning up quantities of banned substances and records on athletes who were customers. In recent months a number of star athletes, including Bonds and Olympic queen Marion Jones, have given secret testimony before the grand jury investigating the case–though no athletes have been charged in the matter.
The whole thing started with an anonymous call and a used syringe. Last June a track coach called officials at the United States Anti-Doping Agency and told them about THG, a new “designer” steroid that was invisible on blood tests. He had mailed them a syringe containing traces of the liquid, and told investigators that BALCO was the source of the drug. The syringe was sent to the Olympic drug-testing lab at UCLA, where scientists developed a test to detect the drug. When they began screening stored urine samples from the 2003 U.S. Track & Field Championships, they turned up a number of positives for THG.
In the months that followed, the Feds began narrowing in on BALCO. At the company and at Anderson’s home, investigators allegedly found documents listing athletes’ drug regimens. According to the indictment, the alleged conspirators tried to cover their tracks, using false names on the drug packages and warning clients to watch their backs. “And remember that all e-mails are saved for a very long time, so be careful,” Conte allegedly e-mailed one coach. “Searches for keywords like ‘anabolic’ and many others are going on at all times by Big Brother.” Agents also watched famous athletes visit BALCO headquarters, possibly to get the steroids.
The Feds may just be getting started. Years of warnings and fines have obviously been something of a joke to stars who pull down millions of dollars a year. But the threat of prison is something else. “I assume they’ll pick some athletes to go after,” says Dick Pound, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency. “That’s the way to finally bring this home to the American public.” Though sports stars who may have received the drugs haven’t been charged so far, the indictment alludes to unnamed athletes. A government source tells NEWSWEEK that athletes who tell the truth to the grand jury will likely escape prosecution. But, the source says, if an athlete is caught lying, criminal charges are possible. According to a Justice Department official, “No legal options have been taken off the table. The investigation is active and ongoing.” The game, it would appear, could go into extra innings.
