Published: July 25, 2007

Patrick Arnold, a chemist who worked with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, said in an HBO Sports interview that Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield took performance-enhancing drugs provided to them by the laboratory.
Bonds and Sheffield have denied knowingly using drugs provided by Balco, and told that to a federal grand jury investigating the laboratory, according to leaked testimony. Bonds remains under investigation over concerns about his testimony.
Arnold is widely credited with creating "the clear," a previously undetectable steroid that Balco provided to athletes. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute steroids, and was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement. He was among five people convicted in the case. As part of his plea agreement, he did not have to name athletes and coaches to whom he supplied drugs.
The HBO interview was shown last night on "Costas Now." Arnold told Bob Costas, the show's host, that he never met Bonds but often heard Balco's founder, Victor Conte, raving about Bonds's performance on "the program."
When asked by Costas if "the program" included steroids, Arnold said: "I have a very strong feeling about it since he was on the program. And like everyone else, the program consisted of the clear."
In a statement last night, Conte denied telling Arnold that he gave Bonds steroids.
"The program I created for Barry was a comprehensive nutritional supplementation regimen and had nothing to do with the clear or any other anabolic steroids," Conte said.
Bonds reportedly told the grand jury that he thought he was taking flaxseed oil, not the clear. Arnold challenged that and likened the liquid to "nontoxic antifreeze."
He added: "I guess it's possible that Barry had never tasted flaxseed oil and said, ‘Well, I guess this is flaxseed oil.' But it's pretty hard to believe."
When asked about Sheffield's recent statement that he never took steroids because "they are something you shoot in your butt," Arnold said: "That's an ignorant statement. That's some sort of weird rationalization. No, he took steroids. This is a bona fide anabolic steroid."
Bonds is three home runs shy of breaking Hank Aaron's career record. Arnold said he planned to watch Bonds break the record on television. "I feel like in a, in a crazy way, obviously, I'm a part of it," Arnold said. "I, how can I want to miss, how would I miss that?"

VICTOR CONTE'S RESPONSE 

Patrick Arnold's recent interview was undeniably about
self-promotion and personal gain.  Therefore,
his statements lack credibility.  I have never
discussed the specifics of any athlete's program with
Patrick. To suggest that he has any knowledge of
steroid use by Barry Bonds is outrageous. Patrick is
simply attempting to cash in at the right time.
Apparently, Patrick Arnold and Kimberly Bell have
become a perfect match.

Victor Conte