Greg Anderson (trainer)

Greg F. Anderson (born 1966) is a former personal trainer, best known for his work with Barry Bonds and links with BALCO.

Biography

Early life

When Anderson was 10 years old, his father died after being shot during a gambling dispute. Anderson first met Barry Bonds when the two played middle school baseball together in California. Bonds flourished as the team's star, while Anderson struggled to get playing time. In college, Anderson began an obsession with weight-lifting and spent long hours in the gym. He played college baseball at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas with moderate success, but was advised by his coach to find a career outside of professional baseball. Soon after, Anderson moved back to California where he spent most of his time at the World Gym, now known as Diesel Fitness, only a few blocks away from BALCO.

teroid troubles

Anderson is alleged to have begun providing Bonds with performance enhancing drugs in 1998. Before associating with Bonds, he was known as a local gym rat and was thought by the San Francisco Giants to be a steroids dealerFact|date=November 2007. He was also linked in this regard to both Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, through his connections with Bonds. Despite this information, the Giants, allegedly in order to appease Bonds, did not bar Anderson from Giants facilities. On July 15, 2005, Anderson, in a deal with federal prosecutors, plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and to money laundering. [cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/16/MNG7PDP6HA1.DTL | title=40 of 42 BALCO charges dropped - Steroid lab owner, Bonds' trainer guilty in plea deal | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2005-07-16 | accessdate=2007-10-05 ] On October 18, 2005, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston to three months in prison and three months home confinement. [cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/18/MNG5PFA84G11.DTL | title=BALCO's Conte, Barry Bonds' trainer sentenced | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2005-10-18 | accessdate=2007-10-05 ] [cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/19/MNG3NFAOET1.DTL | title=Short prison terms for BALCO defendants | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2005-10-19 | accessdate=2007-10-05 ]

Anderson and his steroid dealings are referred to in the book "Game of Shadows", which documents the steroid use of many Major League Baseball players and other notable athletes.

Further legal trouble

On July 5, 2006, Anderson was found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge William Alsup for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating perjury accusations against San Francisco Giants' player Barry Bonds. Bonds appeared before a grand jury investigating the BALCO steroids case in December 2003 and is reported to have denied knowingly using performance enhancing drugs. [cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/05/MNG7EJPL9M8.DTL | title=Bonds' trainer going to prison | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2006-07-05 | accessdate=2007-10-05 ] Anderson, denied bail, was immediately sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, said he would file an appeal based on his assertion that the subpoena to testify violated Anderson's plea bargain agreement in the BALCO case. [cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/06/MNGGRJQES51.DTL | title=BONDS' TRAINER SENT TO PRISON | publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2006-07-06 | accessdate=2007-10-05 ]

On July 20, 2006, Anderson was released when the grand jury's term expired without indicting Bonds. However, Anderson was immediately subpoenaed to testify before a new grand jury that took up the case. [cite web | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2524831 | title=New grand jury to look at Bonds allegations | date=2006-07-21 | publisher=ESPN | accessdate=2007-10-05 ] Anderson's attorney, Mark Geragos, stated that Anderson would still refuse to testify, and on August 28, Anderson was again found in contempt of court and sentenced to prison. [cite web | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2564340 | title=Greg Anderson held in contempt, returned to jail | date=2006-08-29 | publisher=ESPN | accessdate=2007-10-05 ]

On November 15, 2007, a federal judge ordered Anderson released from prison. This order came just hours after Bonds was indicted by a federal grand jury on 4 counts of perjury and 1 count of obstruction of justice. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21825158/ Judge orders Anderson released from prison - Baseball - MSNBC.com ] ] [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/wires/11/15/2010.ap.bbn.bonds.indicted.6th.ld.writethru.1167/]

References

External links

* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/03/06/growth0313/ Excerpt from "Game of Shadows"]