Former Major Leaguers Allowed to Testify in Barry Bonds Case

Michael McCann of SI.com and the Sports Law Blog, has published a great article on an evidentiary issue that could have a significant effect on the government’s prosecution of Barry Bonds.  U.S. District Judge Susan Illston will allow former clients of Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson, to testify that Anderson supplied them with performance enhancing drugs.  These clients include Marvin Bernard, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Armando Rios, Benito Santiago and Randy Velarde.

Here’s an excerpt of McCann’s analysis:

Prosecutors hope that a jury will infer that if Anderson informed his other baseball clients about using illegal substances, then Bonds must have also knowingly used illegal substances. After all, why would Anderson supply his other major league clients with illegal substances, but then supply Bonds with only legal ones? Also, if Anderson supplied Bonds with illegal substances, why would he keep Bonds out of the loop about doing so, while displaying candor and transparency with his other clients? Given that perjury requires the government to show that Bonds knowingly lied under oath, these former players could prove to be key witnesses.

McCann also opines that Judge Illston’s ruling increases the likelihood that Bonds will testify in his defense.

Click here to read the article in its entirety,