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CNN Live Today

Interview With Chuck Johnson

Aired December 04, 2003 - 11:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Major League Baseball will begin penalizing players who use steroids in the coming season. Want to bring in Chuck Johnson. He is a sports reporter for "USA Today." He has been following the steroid issue. And he's joining us from McLean, Virginia this morning. Chuck, good morning.
CHUCK JOHNSON, "USA TODAY": Good morning.

KAGAN: First, a quick question about Barry Bonds. He's says he doesn't use steroids, flatly denies that. And yet it's not good for Barry Bonds and it's not good for Major League Baseball to see any headline that involves one of the most popular players and the word "steroids."

JOHNSON: Well absolutely. No doubt baseball didn't want this taint over one of its biggest stars.

But the fact of the matter is, bonds is not a target of this investigation. At this point, no one's mentioned Bonds as a target of the investigation. His ties with the two central figures in the probe, however, is why he is testifying today before the federal grand jury.

But he's not alone in that. It's been a cross-section of athletes from all across the sports world that have been subpoenaed to testify in this case. Which ultimately could confirm or dispel the notion that steroid usage, illegal bans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) performance enhanced drugs are used across the board in sport.

KAGAN: Yes, some other big names. Jason Giambi, he also at one point, based in the Bay area, now of course a slugger for the New York Yankees. Marian Jones, probably the most famous track athlete in the world.

JOHNSON: You mention track. Track and field -- the culture in track and field has always been about drug testing because of the individual nature of the sport and the worldwide nature of the sport.

Baseball is relatively new as far as testing is concerned. Last year was the first year that they instituted steroid testing. And that was done on an anonymous basis. And even knowing in advance that there was going to be testing five to seven percent of major leaguers tested positive. So that can't bode well for the real number of baseball players actually using steroids.

KAGAN: Right, did not bode well. I think anybody except for the owners, and perhaps Bud Selig, is going to point out that the numbers of testing, that 5 percent, is probably ridiculously low, and the program that Major League Baseball will be instituting is basically a joke in terms how much penalty there will be and how easy it is for the players to work around the system.

JOHNSON: I'm not that harsh to call it a joke. I really think it's a first step. Baseball has been resistant in this area. The union has said it's a privacy issue, and that any employer should not have the right to unilaterally decide to test an athlete.

On the other hand, there ought to have been concern by both management and the player's union should be the welfare of the players. And all tests have shown that steroids is debilitating as far as your physical health.

So if that's the ultimate test, I mean, the union and management should get together on this issue.

KAGAN: And as we look forward on this, Chuck, where do you see this going? As testing gets better and information becomes available, do you think we're going to a point where there be fewer steroids used or are we going to a point where people just throw up their hands and say, This is what people want to do to their bodies, just let them do it?

JOHNSON: No, I think they're making a move to rid sports of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. I mean actually this something that's surfaced and has grown through the years. This new drug, THG, until recently, you couldn't even detect it. It's not easy to pronounce and apparently wasn't easy to detect either.

But tetra-hydro-gestrinone, I believe it's called, that's something that the federal authorities have said was designed, manufactured for the express purpose of masking the fact it was a steroid.

So at the same time, the steroids are being used, other drugs are continuously being manufactured and invented to try to circumvent the detection aspect of it.

KAGAN: It's hard to keep up with. And you and your paper are doing a good job of covering the issue. Thanks for being with us.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Daryn.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 4, 2003 - 11:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Major League Baseball will begin penalizing players who use steroids in the coming season. Want to bring in Chuck Johnson. He is a sports reporter for "USA Today." He has been following the steroid issue. And he's joining us from McLean, Virginia this morning. Chuck, good morning.
CHUCK JOHNSON, "USA TODAY": Good morning.

KAGAN: First, a quick question about Barry Bonds. He's says he doesn't use steroids, flatly denies that. And yet it's not good for Barry Bonds and it's not good for Major League Baseball to see any headline that involves one of the most popular players and the word "steroids."

JOHNSON: Well absolutely. No doubt baseball didn't want this taint over one of its biggest stars.

But the fact of the matter is, bonds is not a target of this investigation. At this point, no one's mentioned Bonds as a target of the investigation. His ties with the two central figures in the probe, however, is why he is testifying today before the federal grand jury.

But he's not alone in that. It's been a cross-section of athletes from all across the sports world that have been subpoenaed to testify in this case. Which ultimately could confirm or dispel the notion that steroid usage, illegal bans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) performance enhanced drugs are used across the board in sport.

KAGAN: Yes, some other big names. Jason Giambi, he also at one point, based in the Bay area, now of course a slugger for the New York Yankees. Marian Jones, probably the most famous track athlete in the world.

JOHNSON: You mention track. Track and field -- the culture in track and field has always been about drug testing because of the individual nature of the sport and the worldwide nature of the sport.

Baseball is relatively new as far as testing is concerned. Last year was the first year that they instituted steroid testing. And that was done on an anonymous basis. And even knowing in advance that there was going to be testing five to seven percent of major leaguers tested positive. So that can't bode well for the real number of baseball players actually using steroids.

KAGAN: Right, did not bode well. I think anybody except for the owners, and perhaps Bud Selig, is going to point out that the numbers of testing, that 5 percent, is probably ridiculously low, and the program that Major League Baseball will be instituting is basically a joke in terms how much penalty there will be and how easy it is for the players to work around the system.

JOHNSON: I'm not that harsh to call it a joke. I really think it's a first step. Baseball has been resistant in this area. The union has said it's a privacy issue, and that any employer should not have the right to unilaterally decide to test an athlete.

On the other hand, there ought to have been concern by both management and the player's union should be the welfare of the players. And all tests have shown that steroids is debilitating as far as your physical health.

So if that's the ultimate test, I mean, the union and management should get together on this issue.

KAGAN: And as we look forward on this, Chuck, where do you see this going? As testing gets better and information becomes available, do you think we're going to a point where there be fewer steroids used or are we going to a point where people just throw up their hands and say, This is what people want to do to their bodies, just let them do it?

JOHNSON: No, I think they're making a move to rid sports of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. I mean actually this something that's surfaced and has grown through the years. This new drug, THG, until recently, you couldn't even detect it. It's not easy to pronounce and apparently wasn't easy to detect either.

But tetra-hydro-gestrinone, I believe it's called, that's something that the federal authorities have said was designed, manufactured for the express purpose of masking the fact it was a steroid.

So at the same time, the steroids are being used, other drugs are continuously being manufactured and invented to try to circumvent the detection aspect of it.

KAGAN: It's hard to keep up with. And you and your paper are doing a good job of covering the issue. Thanks for being with us.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Daryn.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com