Barry Bonds Indicted
In what came as no real surprise, Barry Bonds was indicted yesterday on federal charges stemming from lying to a grand jury about not knowingly taking steroids. What is interesting about the whole thing is that although the investigation has been going on for a long time, the Feds could not get their act together and indict Bonds before he stole Hank Aaron’s record as the home run champion. They had their chance with a grand jury previously, but ran out of time before reaching an indictment.
While Bonds faces up to 30 years in prison, it is unlikely he would serve that amount, even if he is convicted on all counts. What is even more unlikely is that Bonds would plead guilty. A guilty plea is a legal admission of guilt, like a judicial confession, and there is no way Bonds is going to admit he did anything wrong. The only shred of hope that he has to cling to that will keep his legacy from being completed marred is his pathetic claim that he did not know that he was taking steroids. Personally if I was taking a nice legal over-the-counter supplement and I started beefing up like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I might think something was up. I guess Bonds just thought the legal stuff was potent. Right. Then why wasn’t everyone using it?
The biggest lesson that this case can teach young people, aside from the obvious about not cheating to succeed professionally, is that you never, ever like to a federal grand jury. Often what you are accused of doing pales in comparison with lying about not doing it. Martha Stewart is a perfect example. Using a insider trader tip and dumping stock is wrong. Lying about it to a grand jury and obstructing justice is horrendously wrong. That is why she went to prison and that is why Bonds will likely be headed there too. Although he probably deserves to go for just being a colossal jerk and attempting to single-handedly ruin the best sport in America.
Barry Bonds, Bonds indicted, obstruction of justice, lying to grand jury, steroids, baseball, Hank Aaron, Martha Stewart
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