Two California newsapers have released a report that the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) gave steroids to 27 athletes. Company founder Victor Conte?s lawyers claim that Conte has denied such allegations.
The report releases the names of professional and Olympic athletes who received steroids from the company, including Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi of Major League Baseball, Bill Romanowski and Johnnie Morton of the National Football League, and Olympic track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. All athletes have testified before a grand jury and denied receiving steroids from the company.
Though the two newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News, have released names of specific athletes, Conte claims he never released any of the names himself.
?Victor Conte adamantly denies giving up any names of any athletes, period,? Conte?s attorney Robert Holley said.
The New York Times also released a report that a $7,350 check was written to BALCO from Marion Jones? account. Jones has denied allegations of writing any such check.
