You may not know the name Victor Conte, and you may not have heard of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, but if you follow sports, chances are you’ve seen Conte’s work (Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, etc) and know his company by its more infamous acronym (BALCO).
Can the King of PEDs Change Us?
↵But these days, after serving time in prison and enduring national disgrace, Conte’s trying to put that behind him. He spoke to a San Diego radio station recently, and Sports Radio Interviews provided a transrcipt. Some excerpts:
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↵I certainly have lots of regrets and feel very sorry about everything that I did. I would like to do what I can at this point and from this point forward to help create positive change. […]
↵It starts with the ineptness of the anti-doping policies and procedures, the loopholes are so big that you can drive a Mac Truck through them. If you don’t test these athletes repeatedly during the offseason and have transparency and fully disclose what the testing is all about, PED’s certainly work. […]
↵It’s a massive problem. When the congressional hearing took place and the executives from the NFL came before those members it was a joke. They simply pulled the wool over their eyes. They represented themselves of having this excellent anti-doping program and that they really didn’t have this problem and they got a green light or a free pass.
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While Conte’s been rightfully demonized in recent years, his apparent contrition is notable, as it will take someone of his caliber to effectively police this stuff. At any given moment, it’s likely that Conte is the smartest guy in the room—he beat all the leagues, all the federal agents, the IOC, everyone. Only someone of his brilliance can help craft meaningful and effective steroid policies.
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And if he can put his relentless intellect to use for good—and leagues like the NFL listen to him—he might just help undo a culture in which he once reigned supreme.
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