The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday dropped a nearly 10-year prosecution of former San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds over performance-enhancing drugs, according to multiple reports.
According to ESPN, the Justice Department submitted a one-paragraph court filing saying that it would not seek a reversal of a lower court’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bonds holds the MLB records for career home runs and home runs in a season. But he was caught in the middle of baseball’s BALCO performance-enhancing drug scandal in the early 2000s.
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He was indicted in 2007 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice after allegedly lying to a grand jury over the use.
Bonds released a statement on his website about the dropped prosecution:
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The finality of today’s decision gives me great peace. As I have said before, this outcome is something I have long wished for. I am relieved, humbled and thankful for what this means for me and my family moving forward.
Throughout this process my faith in God, along with so many who have supported me, is what has kept me going. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your heartfelt wishes to me; for that, I am grateful. I’d also like to thank my outstanding legal team for their continued work on my behalf.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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