Victor Conte, BALCO steroids scandal mastermind, dead at 75 from cancer
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Victor Conte, the central figure in one of the biggest performance-enhancing drug scandals in sports history, has died at the age of 75.
Conte’s company, Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), announced Conte’s death. Publish on XHe said he was fighting pancreatic cancer.
The post stated, “We are Heartbroken with the Passing of our Fearless Leader.” “We Will Honor His Wishes. SNAC and Its Legacy Will Be Strong and Forever Forward. WE LOVE YOU, Conte!”
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Victor Conte, founder of BALCO, passed away at the age of 75. His company, SNAC, announced his death on social media. (IMAGN)
Conte’s previous venture, BALCO, made national headlines in 2003 when federal agents raided the business and his Northern California home as part of an investigation into the steroid scandal that shook several sports leagues, especially Major League Baseball.
He later pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, admitting to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to several high-profile athletes, including baseball’s home run king Barry Bonds and Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones.
IT’S OK TO WORK WITH MARLON BYRD CONTE
While Conte expressed regret for his role, he also touched on his controversial legacy in a Netflix documentary:
“When Marion Jones gets to the finish line and wins the gold medal, when Barry Bonds hits all those home runs, any of those great accomplishments, those are things that I will always be proud of.”
BALCO founder Victor Conte speaks to the media at the Federal Courthouse following his sentencing in the BALCO steroid case on October 18, 2005 in San Francisco, California. The case, which drew international attention to athletes’ steroid use, ended today with Victor Conte being sentenced to four months in prison and four months of house arrest. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
As part of his sentence, Conte served four months in a low-security federal prison in California.
Conte’s SNAC developed and sold natural supplements but was not banned from the sport entirely. He was a consultant in the boxing world to clients such as Terence “Bud” Crawford and Claressa Shields.
That doesn’t mean Conte doesn’t still have his critics, as Crawford’s recent fight against Canelo Alvarez has led to skeptics who believe he may be cheating on Conte on his team.
“Please do not emphasize too much the negativity of my past,” Conte said. USA TODAY Before Crawford’s unanimous decision victory over Alvarez made him a three-belt champion.
Victor Conte, founder and chairman of BALCO, speaks during the “Tribeca Talks: Injecting the American Dream” panel discussion at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on May 3, 2008. (Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)
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Conte was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, but continued to work with athletes from his hospital bed in his final months.
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