Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents [Update: Will testify]

Government set to make case against Barry Bonds - Los Angeles Times

In a seven-page list of exhibits it plans to introduce in trial, prosecutors included log sheets and letters from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), where they say Anderson obtained the steroids, along with several blood tests and lab results for a BLB, identified by the government as code for Barry Lamar Bonds. The list also includes money and "doping calendars" with Bonds' name or initials on them that were discovered during a raid of Anderson's home
Syringes, human growth hormone vials and documents pertaining to other athletes with connections to Anderson, including Estalella, Santiago, Jason and Jeremy Giambi and New England Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo, are on the government's exhibits list...

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any one else hear about this?

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

special teamin aint easy

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

I was unaware.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Not touchin' this one - been back 'n forthing with a dude in baseball forum for what seems like forever.

Since people around here are quite touchy about namin' names, I will just say that I think NO one should be surprised to see ANY names of pros in ANY sport when it comes to performance enhancers.

If some kid from 10th grade is doing it to win some local trophy, or some 45 year old at the gym, just to look less ugly... pros ? obv.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Unless someone's putting an astersik next to the Steelers Super Bowl wins, steroids is never going to generate the same outcry in football as in baseball. In baseball a matter of just a few feet is the difference between an out and a double, or a double and a home run. Giving LBs or Linemen a little extra strength doesn't have anywhere near the same impact as it does in baseball.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

JoeSixPat said:

Unless someone's putting an astersik next to the Steelers Super Bowl wins, steroids is never going to generate the same outcry in football as in baseball. In baseball a matter of just a few feet is the difference between an out and a double, or a double and a home run. Giving LBs or Linemen a little extra strength doesn't have anywhere near the same impact as it does in baseball.

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Have to disagree with that assessment. Football is truly a game of inches. A lineman that can drive the pile a few more inches, could make the difference between a first down and a punt. A TD or a FG.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

My take on why most people don't care about steroids in football as much as they do in baseball, is because baseball is such a numbers game.

Quite a few people can name all kinds of certain milestones in baseball off the top of their heads like Hank's 755, Ted's .406, and Joe D's 56. People also like to see the big violent collisions in football as well.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Another reason football is left off the hook is that they test 4 times during the season and up to 6 random times off season. EACH PLAYER. Jason Taylor last year was tested 8 times, and he's never had drug issues.

In baseball, you're tested on the first day of spring training and then once randomly during the season.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Yes, his name surfaced as being involved with BALCO years ago when the whole thing first started.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Taxed in Maine said:

Yes, his name surfaced as being involved with BALCO years ago when the whole thing first started.

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Correct... this is very old news, it just never got much play at the time.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

Va_Pats_Fan said:

Have to disagree with that assessment. Football is truly a game of inches. A lineman that can drive the pile a few more inches, could make the difference between a first down and a punt. A TD or a FG.

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The masses agree with me on this one. Baseball and football are incomparable in that regard - which is exactly why there's so much uproar over steroids in baseball than football.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

JoeSixPat said:

The masses agree with me on this one. Baseball and football are incomparable in that regard - which is exactly why there's so much uproar over steroids in baseball than football.

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While you are correct that the masses agree - fans shrug their shoulder when an NFL player gets caught but scream as loud as they can when a MLB player is caught - it's still a double standard and hypocrisy on the part of both the media and sports fans, in my opinion.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents.

JoeSixPat said:

The masses agree with me on this one. Baseball and football are incomparable in that regard - which is exactly why there's so much uproar over steroids in baseball than football.

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argumentum ad populum. Care to try again?

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

This 2003 article referenced Izzo in a THG discussion.

NFL players only draw serious fire in the steroids/HGH issue if they are superstars (e.g., Merriman) known for power (Merriman was viewed as one of the hardest hitters and single-handedly ended Priest Holmes' career with a hit - did he need that boost?). Given the punishment dealt from the week to week grind in the NFL, I suspect most will forgive the player if he acknowledges he did it and is not caught in a lie. HGH is supposedly for recovery (if it works at all), in contrast to steroids which will add muscle mass.

Players went to BALCO to get undetectable supplements (I know the party line was analysis of blood chemistry and supplementation tailored to chemistry, but I find it hard to believe athletes were unaware of what the supplements were). That is why there was such an outcry when Brady supposedly talked to BALCO (although thankfully talk is all he did). Izzo may get tagged for "the clear" as well as HGH. If he does, it will be for conduct more than 5 years ago. He may never have admitted it, but I am not aware of him denying it either. If he did it, hopefully he admits it, takes the suspension and moves on from the bad news.

As for baseball and football, baseball is more of an individual sport and you stand to gain more of a benefit using steroids. Increased power translates to more homeruns and harder hits, or faster pitches or the ability to pitch with shorter rest periods. In football, you may add muscle mass but pure strength does not translate to the same gains. You can be bigger and stronger, but whether blocking, running or passing you have other players in your face, and technique is still huge (see Brock Lesner's attempt at NFL greatness if you believe otherwise - big, strong and quick but went nowhere). I agree neither sport benefits from steroids, but in baseball you can actually see results spiking (look at the 3 or 4 years where individual homerun records were crushed, then a return to typical season leader stats after the stories broke and testing began).

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

MassPats38 said:

(I know the party line was analysis of blood chemistry and supplementation tailored to chemistry, but I find it hard to believe athletes were unaware of what the supplements were).

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I guess to play devil's advocate... I'd mention that the true brains behind BALCO at the time, a chemist named Pat Arnold (brilliant freakin' guy with an added ability to be a complete a**hole at times) was developing many different compounds and supplements that were, at the time, outside the realm of banned steroids. Yes, he's famous for the "cream & the clear" and androstenedione, but he was also working with isolating chemicals from natural food substances (hence skirting the definition of a steriod) that acted as pro-hormones in some cases. Prohormones weren't banned until 2005, but I believe the loophole about it being from a naturally derived food source still applies. Either way, I'm not saying Izzo was clean, I'm just saying there could be reasonable doubt.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

Larry Izzo? Can't be! Football is dead to me now...

I've decided to stop voicing opinions about athletes taking steroids, so that if/when a Patriot or Red Sox gets implicated, I don't have to be a hypocrite. I just dislike Bonds because he's an ******* and A-Roid because... well, that speaks for itself.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

T-ShirtDynasty said:

Prohormones weren't banned until 2005, but I believe the loophole about it being from a naturally derived food source still applies. Either way, I'm not saying Izzo was clean, I'm just saying there could be reasonable doubt.

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Sadly, with his name coming up in conjunction with the Bonds case and the feds throwing everything including the kitchen sink at Bonds, his story may be articulated in much greater detail in the near future.

I don't doubt the possibility his dealings may be perfectly innocent, but the natural supplement story sounds very much like Romanowski's story of conditioning before he went public (another BALCO name mentioned).

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

Old news. The Pats even signed Dana Stubblefied after the BALCO raid although he didn't make the team.

No one cares about steroids and HGH in football anyway mostly because no one can even tell you what the records are and who holds them. Everyone in baseball knew numbers like 61 and 755.

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

Oh God. I can just see opposing teams' fans now: "CHEATERS, CHEATERS, *, CHEATERS!!1".

Re: Izzo connected to steriods/Bonds according to court documents

KontradictioN said:

Oh God. I can just see opposing teams' fans now: "CHEATERS, CHEATERS, *, CHEATERS!!1".

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Indeed. Part of Belichick's illegal substance enhanced training regimen. All the injuries over the years will be attributed to evidence of steroid use. The new "video" will be videos of the injections taken to insure optimal delivery of banned substances.