I hope athletes (professional, collegiate, high school and amateur) across the nation are paying attention to the trial going on in San Francisco involving Barry Bonds and his alleged lying to a grand jury.
This trial shows what happens when prominent athletes get so caught up in themselves they can’t distinguish lies from the truth. It shows what happens when athletes knowingly start to spread lies to save face. And finally, it shows what happens when one athlete puts himself on a pedestal above the sport he gets paid to play.
Let me give a brief synopsis of what’s going on in the trial.
Bonds faces five different charges: four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. These charges stem from his December 2003 testimony before the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) grand jury in which he said he did not knowingly take designer steroids.
Sure, a professional athlete doesn’t know what he is putting into his body. That’s about as plausible as the Saints winning a World Series.
As Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella said Tuesday during his opening statement against Bonds, Bonds’ claims are “utterly ridiculous” and his story “unbelievable.”
The evidence against Bonds is damning.
Star witness Steve Hoskins, a long-time friend of Bonds, said he witnessed Bonds and trainer Greg Anderson entering a bedroom once or twice each spring training over the course of multiple seasons.
Hoskins also said Bonds asked him to find out about various steroids back in 1999.
What happens in Vegas? It goes to trial.
Here’s what is at stake for Bonds in this trial: jail time and the reputation of his already blemished name.
Let’s start with the (limited) possibility Bonds actually goes to jail.
The maximum amount of time Bonds will spend in jail is 30 months. That’s only if he takes the stand at this trial and is found guilty of perjury or obstruction of justice by the jury.
If he doesn’t take the stand during this trial and the jury finds him guilty of perjury, experts say Bonds likely won’t spend time in prison (you have to love the legal system).
With jail time not really much of a factor, what’s really at stake here is Bonds’ legacy?
I say this because what fans really care about is the legacy of athletes. Look at Pete Rose.
The home-run king will have the biggest asterisk next to his name of anyone in the record books if he’s found guilty. His legacy will be forever tarnished in an irreparable way.
Even if not guilty, the black cloud hanging over his head is enough to keep people from connecting him with the great players from past eras.
Hall of fame voters have already set a precedent with former slugger Mark McGwire, declining his entry into the Hall after his admitted steroid use.
Think Bonds stands a chance?
Negative.
This jury, this judge, needs to lay down the law. And I hope other athletes pay close attention to what’s happening.
As Sir Walter Scott said, “Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive.”
I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of self absorption Bonds must have if he truly believed he could straight up lie in front of a grand jury and get away with it.
When it comes to prominent athletes, just one little strand of that web can lead to a lot of trouble.
Being a prominent athlete doesn’t entitle you to anything. Let this trial stand as a case-in-point to that.
Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old English and psychology senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.
 
_____
Contact Andy Schwehm at
[email protected]