Steroids and drugs found in raid

A man facing drugs charges after a police raid which allegedly turned up cash, cocaine, MDMA, and steroids was already on bail for a serious offence, a court has heard.

After being arrested on Thursday night, Gregory Jason Merrilees briefly faced the ACT Magistrates Court.

From Canberratimes.com.au:

Police allege they found 8g of suspected cocaine, 100 tablets believed to be MDMA or ''ecstasy'' and three vials of steroids.
Merrilees' lawyer told the court her client was already on bail over serious alleged offences which carry a maximum penalty of five years or more. Under territory law a person accused of committing further crimes while on bail for a serious offence has to show special or exceptional circumstances to justify their release on bail again. Merrilees was remanded in custody.

Merrilees was formally charged with unlawful possession of property, cocaine trafficking, possessing anabolic steroids, and also faces a charge of driving while disqualified.

Clean drug tests for anabolic steroids at UFC 139

All UFC 139 fighters tested clean for recreational/drugs of abuse, the California State Athletic Commission confirmed two weeks ago.

Steroid tests also came back clean for this past month's event, a representative of the CSAC said.

From Mmajunkie.com:

The night's main card aired on pay-per-view, and the preliminary card aired on Spike TV and streamed on Facebook. Dan Henderson defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the night's main event.

In addition to those headliners, Wanderlei Silva, Gleison Tibau, Shamar Bailey, Cung Le, Danny Castillo, Brian Bowles, Urijah Faber, Rafael dos Anjos, Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz also were tested for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

UFC 139 took place on Nov. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Prosecutors urged for prison time for Bonds

Federal prosecutors want baseballlegend Barry Bonds to serve 15 months in prison for his obstruction of justice conviction, according to a sentencing memo filed in court.

In their filing, defense lawyers argued that the judge should accept recommendation of the probation office that the ex-baseball player be sentenced to two years probation, fined $4,000, and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.

From Edition.cnn.com:

Bonds, 47, is set to be sentenced on December 16 in a San Francisco federal courtroom, less than two miles from the ballpark where he broke Hank Aaron's major league home run in August 2007.

Jurors who found Bonds guilty in April said he was "evasive" in his testimony to the federal grand jury investigating illegal steroids use by pro athletes.

"Because Bonds's efforts were a corrupt, intentional effort to interfere with that mission, a sentence of 15 months imprisonment is appropriate," the prosecution said in its memo to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston.

Hulk Hogan refutes domestic abuse claim

Hulk Hogan insisted recently he "never laid a hand" on his ex-wife following her domestic abuse claims.

Former spouse of the wrestling legend, Linda Hogan, has claimed in her new autobiography, Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes, that he had a violent temper that would manifest itself physically when they argued.

From Nzherald.co.nz:

But the 57-year-old TNA grappler has branded Linda's allegation a "total, blatant lie" and has accused her of still trying to trade off his famous name.
Insisting he has "no reason" to defend himself, he said during a radio interview on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show: "Dude, I never laid a hand on her ... If you step back and take a really good look at this - if you take the Hulk Hogan name out of her situation, her life, her career, the air she breathes ... she's out of gas. She's still riding on the Hulk Hogan name. Just take her and put her in the same category with the Iron Sheik and the Ultimate Warrior. They all belong together."
The Iron Sheik and the Ultimate Warrior are former wrestling opponents of Hulk - real name Terry Bollea - and have been vocal critics of him during their retirements.

Linda said, "Drugs were always around - prescribed. Wrestlers have always got injuries. There was a constant flow of pain pills, anti-inflammatories, steroids - a lot of them did take steroids. It makes somebody - you don't know what you're dealing with."

MLB's HGH testing not effective

On November 22, 2011, the recent feat of Major League Baseball of extended "labor peace" with the Major League Players Association was reached.

According to the terms of the latest basic agreement between the parties, the MLB has apparently won out in its attempt to curb illicit use of human growth hormone (HGH) by its players.

From Sports-central.org:

The lockouts by both the NFL and NBA this year perhaps did not go by unnoticed by MLB brass in its seemingly under-the-radar collective bargaining talks with the MLBPA this past fall. MLB attempted to show up the other leagues' rather unkempt labor relations.

And MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made it quite clear by way of his public display of self-aggrandizement during the week following a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was reached, that his is the first North American professional sports league to agree to such a test for HGH. And perhaps it was indeed Selig's latest and greatest coup yet, in such a pronouncement, however yet to be realized.

Article 39, Sec. 7 (b) of the NFL's CBA states: "The parties confirm that the Program on Anabolic Steroids and related Substances will include both annual blood testing and random blood testing for human growth hormone, with discipline for positive tests at the same level as for steroids."

Four-game ban for Colts guard

The NFL has handed a ban of four years to a Colts guard who violated the anabolic steroids and related substances policy.

Jaimie Thomas is on injured reserve and has been banned for four games.

From Espn.go.com:

Thomas was a seventh-round selection by the Colts in the 2009 draft and played in eight games with Indianapolis in 2010. He was placed on IR on Aug. 19 this year with a back injury.

Also Wednesday, the Colts placed defensive tackle Eric Foster and rookie offensive tackle Ben Ijalana on injured reserve, ending their seasons.

Foster dislocated his right ankle in a gruesome scene during Monday night's loss at Tampa Bay.

"Practice will go along this week and we'll see where we are. We do have a lot of possibilities and some of them are too endless to go through," coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday. "It's just the way it is. You take a look at where you are and adjust accordingly."

Marion Jones on diplomatic visits

Former track star Marion Jones is making a series of diplomatic visits to Serbia and Croatia on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

Once considered the fastest woman in the world, Jones give back her five medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics after lying to federal investigators about taking performance enhancing drugs.

From Espn.go.com:

Since getting out of jail, she started a career in the WNBA -- playing a season and a half for the Tulsa Shock -- and has started a campaign to encourage others to think before making critical decisions.

This week, Jones is visiting with school children and other citizens in Serbia and Croatia, the former Yugoslav republics hit by war and earthquake in recent years.

"It paints a very positive picture of who we are as a country and the fact that she's here on the invitation of the United States government shows that our country believes in people always having opportunities to come back from adversity," said Ryan Rowlands, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade who helped arrange Jones' visit. "So that's been a great part of this message."

"I think that this country is in the process of rebuilding," she said. "My story is one that I am also rebuilding from making some bad choices in the past, so I think that was one of the main reasons that I was chosen because I have decided to not give up in my quest to help people."

Steroid use common, says retired NHL enforcer

In a new book, retired NHL enforcer Georges Laraque said steroid use was commonplace for years in hockey dressing rooms.

Laraque wrote in "The Story of the NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy" that steroid use wasn't limited to just the league's bruisers.

From Espn.go.com:

Laraque, who is now a deputy leader of the federal Green Party, doesn't accuse any players by name in the book. He said enforcers also used steroids to gain weight before arriving in the pros, and took substances such as Ephedrine so they would be desensitized before a fight.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association haven't responded to Laraque's claims. Testing for performance enhancing substances was included in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union in 2005.

Laraque did not name any players who were making use of steroids.