Should Fight Camp 360 discuss Andre Ward's involvement with BALCO's Victor Conte?

A little history, skip it if you want:

BALCO founder Victor Conte supplied several athletes with untraceable performance enchancing drugs including famed and disgraced Marion Jones and Shane Mosley, both being supplied with EPO at the time. Back then, no drug testing (incl. Olympic style random blood/urine for Jones) was able to show any signs of PEDs, both however admitted using Conte's illegal supplies once the BALCO scandal broke out (Mosley said he didn't know it was EPO). Conte was sentenced and Jones served time for false testimony (plus a 2007 test was able to trace EPO in Jones' Olympic samples). Of course, up to the scandal, BALCO was known for selling completely legal suppliments for athletes.

Victor Conte, an outstanding talent in his profession, says he put PEDs behind and founded SNAC, "Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning", selling legal suppliments. USADA's Travis Tygart however said "to sell a dirty supplement is easy - convicted felons can do it - so who knows what's in this stuff? I believe everyone deserves to be rehabilitated, but I question why any elite-level athlete would think anyone like this would have a secret recipe that can work so well. For the life of me, I can't imagine why anyone would associate with someone like this who's made so many mistakes in the past."

Victor Conte discussed drug testing in boxing recently: "The testing that is being utilised in boxing is virtually worthless. I don't believe they want to know how rampant the use of drugs really is. Testing in boxing is completely and totally inept."


Now, it was a shocker when LA Times reported last year that Andre Ward and Eddie Chambers are using Victor Conte's suppliments. Their involvement with SNAC only became public when that article came out ("Scandal-plagued Victor Conte is back", December 4, 2009) and many writers and fans were outraged to read boxers assosiated with BALCO's founder, again, said to be selling completely legal suppliments. To his credit, Ward said: "Victor, I like you man, but don't go down that road with me. Victor's a brilliant guy when it comes to this stuff, but I was still going to be watchful. I did my due diligence. I read all the labels. And I feel he deserves to be forgiven."


I say, given the drug testing scandals over the years (the biggest involving Conte himself) and the Pacquiao-Mayweather saga, Showtime must discuss this matter on it's regular documentary Fight Camp 360, as several writers and fans, without accusations, made it clear in public that they are outraged to hear Conte's involvement in out sport. There's absolutely no room for any kind of accusation, and if you pass the drug tests, even if it's just urine, you are clean, end of story. But given his history, Conte's involvement should be discussed and questioned if the Network wants to remain objective, whoich he does a lot better than HBO, since it's an issue out there no matter if you deny it or not.

 

They should, and they actually could highlight the involvement with Conte objectively, LA Times didn't accuse anyone, just reported his 'comeback' and the names involved, and let all parties express their thoughts in a well balanced article.

HELL YEAH putting Conte and Ward in the same sentence in a well-balanced article casted suspicion on Ward, that's the whole point BigReg, that must be cleared on air! And it seems Showtime is doing it right just documentating things not scripting it (24/7), so as Ward's involvement with Conte is in discussion in the media and forums whether you like it or not, they should give it proper air time to get things cleared rather than letting possibly biased writers and fans guessing in the dark, which could end up in false accusations. Do you agree?

 

Yep. I'm very curious what Ward and other parties would say on air knowing Conte's history. I can't lie, I was surprised and disappointed to hear the two names coming up in the LA Times article and asked the logical question like everyone else: why on Earth would anyone use him? Of course BALCO supplied dozens of athletes with legal suppliments and only a few customers were involved in the PED scandal, but Conte ended up sentenced to prison in a huge public crusade. So no wonder it raises suspicion to read new athletes involved with him and Conte isn't really helping: he's trying to change his image to a "public PED expert", you can often read his opinion on steroids and drug testing, published a book on PEDs etc., so his name is still associated with illegal substances. So Ward's involvement with SNAC needs to be cleared.