Barry Bonds was found guilty on one of the five counts he faced in federal court, the culmination of a decade-long federal investigation into whether or not the former San Francisco Giants outfielder knowingly took steroids.
The lone conviction came on a count charging Bonds with intentionally giving evasive, false or misleading testimony. In response to a question about whether his trainer gave him injectable drugs, Bonds gave a rambling answer, saying he was a “celebrity child, not just in baseball, by my own instincts.”
Bonds’ answer was obstruction of justice, the jury ruled, a deliberate attempt to interfere with the grand jury’s probe.
Bonds eventually answered that question asked of him during the grand jury, a point that will certainly be contended on appeal.
They deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting Bonds on a perjury charge based on Bonds’ claims that he had never received an injection from anyone other than his physician.
Jurors said they deadlocked in favor of acquittal on the other two perjury charges, which were based on Bonds’ denials that he had knowingly used steroids and human growth hormone.
Well that was totally worthwhile. Just think of all the Libyans we could have bombed with the millions of dollars the federal government spent on this trial. Maybe not a lot, but still, every little bit helps.