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The man behind the scheme, who devised a system to distribute stealthy banned substances to elite sports stars including MLB legends Giambi and Bonds and track and field star Marion Jones decades ago, has died. He was 75.

Government Probe and Convictions

The federal government's probe of another company Conte founded, the Bay Area lab, culminated in the convictions of Jones, top track cyclist Thomas, and ex-pro football defender Stubblefield, along with various support personnel and professionals.

Conte's Admissions and Prison Time

The Balco founder, who spent several months in a penitentiary for dealing steroids, spoke openly about his famous former clients. He was featured on TV to claim he had witnessed triple Olympic champion Marion Jones use a syringe with human growth hormones, but consistently avoided implicating Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger.

Sport's Official Review

This probe resulted in the book titled Game of Shadows. A week after the publication date in the mid-2000s, the sport's chief Bud Selig appointed ex-senator George Mitchell to investigate steroids.

He admitted he sold steroids called certain undetectable drugs and coached on their usage to numerous elite athletes, like Giambi, a multiple-time All-Star, the Mitchell report said.

“The illegal use of PEDs is a significant danger to the honesty of the game,” the report stated. “Widespread use by players of these drugs harms the honest athletes who decline to take them and raises questions about the accuracy of baseball records.”

The report noted the problems were not sudden. The report emphasized each participant in baseball in the prior two decades – including commissioners, management, the players’ association and players – bore partial blame for what he labeled the PED epoch.

How It Began

The official probe into Balco was initiated by a IRS investigator digging through the company’s trash. He ended up pleading guilty to a couple of the multiple accusations filed against him in the mid-2000s before a trial. Half a dozen of the 11 convicted people were ensnared for lying to grand jurors.

Further Legal Actions

Bonds’ personal trainer Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to drug dealing counts arising from his ties to the lab. The court gave him to 90 days in incarceration and an equal period of restricted movement.

His Court Proceedings

The home run king was indicted for lying to a investigative body about receiving PEDs and stood trial in the early 2010s. Prosecutors dropped the charges after several years when the prosecutors opted not to contest an overturned obstruction of justice conviction to the highest court.

A decorated player and 14-time All-Star outfielder, Bonds concluded his playing days after the 2007 campaign with a record home run tally, surpassing the milestone of Aaron's total that Aaron established from 1954-76. He claimed he did not intentionally taking performance-enhancing drugs but has not been voted to the sport's hall of honor.

Conte's Post-Prison Life

Conte told the Associated Press in a past conversation that “competitors do cheat to succeed, but the government agents and prosecutors also bend the rules.” He also questioned whether the conclusions in such proceedings were worth the resources.

Post-incarceration, Conte resumed operations in that year by reviving a supplements company he had launched years before called SNAC System. He set up shop in the very same place that once housed his former lab in the California city.

Unapologetic Views

Conte remained defiant about his major involvement in distributing tailored drugs to top sports stars. He argued he simply helped “balance the odds” in a world already rife with rule-breakers.

Outside Views

To Dr Gary Wadler, a at the time a member of the WADA, he was essentially pushing cocaine or heroin. “It concerns totally illegal drug trafficking. This refers to using drugs in violation of federal law,” he stated in that period. “It's not a good deed and it's not altruistic. It's trafficking.”