Dana Stubblefield Charged In Balco Investigation

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Stubblefield Charged With Perjury

Jan 18 02:37 PM US/Eastern

By PAUL ELIAS

Associated Press Writer 4 Comments

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield was charged Friday with perjury, becoming the first football player accused in the BALCO federal steroids investigation.

Stubblefield, a three-time Pro Bowl player who testified before the BALCO grand jury in 2003, is charged with lying to federal agents about his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The charges unsealed in federal court in San Francisco contend Stubblefield made false statements to an IRS agent when he allegedly said he had not used steroids linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co- Operative and denied receiving performance-enhancing drugs from BALCO founder Victor Conte.

The 37-year-old Stubblefield pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. He was scheduled for another appearance in court later Friday.

Two months ago, home run king Barry Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for telling a BALCO grand jury in 2003 that he never knowingly took illegal performance- enhancing drugs.

The federal probe has spanned five years and ensnared several other elite athletes and members of the Burlingame-based steroids distribution ring, including Conte, who served four months in prison.

Stubblefield played on the defensive line for the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders from 1993-2003, and was the NFL defensive player of the year in 1997 while with the 49ers.

He was one of three players fined by the NFL for testing positive for the designer steroid THG, but was not suspended because THG was not added to the NFL's banned substance list until after the tests were conducted.