Public Safety | Daily Report | Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds acknowledged in 2003 that weight trainer Greg Anderson was dealing steroids, saying, “Greg was only selling the steroids to help his kid,” former Giants trainer Stan Conte testified today.

Called as a prosecution witness in Bonds’ trial on perjury charges, Conte recounted a 15-minute conversation he said he had with Bonds shortly after federal drug agents had raided the BALCO steroids lab in Burlingame, seizing drugs and documents.

U.S. District Court

In the conversation, which Conte said took place in his office in the Giants’ training room at Pac Bell Park, Bonds wanted to talk about BALCO and Anderson, the baseball star’s weight trainer.

“Barry was talking about the BALCO raid,” said Conte, now the trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. “He said it was unfair what the government was doing to Greg Anderson – they raided his house.”

Conte continued: “Barry (said he) trusted Greg Anderson and that he didn’t know anything about the steroids, that Greg was only selling the steroids to help his kid."

Conte said he told Bonds they shouldn’t be speaking on the topic, because both had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury that was investigating BALCO.

Bonds is on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice, accused of falsely telling the grand jury that he had never knowingly used banned drugs. In his 2003 grand jury testimony, Bonds said he had only used items that Anderson had identified to him as flaxseed oil and arthritis balm.

Bonds, baseball’s home run champion, has pleaded not guilty. His trial is in its second week in federal court in San Francisco.

Anderson pleaded guilty to steroid-dealing in the BALCO case. The government says he provided Bonds with banned drugs, including the BALCO designer steroids “the clear,” and “the cream.” Anderson refused to testify in Bonds’ trial and is in prison for contempt of court.

Despite his reminder about their status as grand jury witnesses, Conte said Bonds wanted to continue their conversation. He said Bonds began discussing the $60,000 that federal agents had seized from Anderson’s Burlingame condominium in a raid shortly after agents had collected evidence at BALCO.

“A lot of money was found in the raid on Greg’s house,” Conte said. “Barry said it was his money. ... He said he had given it to Greg to hold for him for use with his girls ... with Barry’s girls.”