Federal authorities end prosecution of Major League Baseball homerun king

According to The Associated Press, the Department of Justice on Tuesday dropped its criminal prosecution of Bonds for obstruction of justice.

Since Bonds is no longer an active player – though some might argue his incredible plate discipline could improve at least a dozen teams even on the brink of his 51st birthday – the announcement means very little to you and me in the grand scheme of things. The decade-long investigation and prosecution of Bonds for obstruction of justice ended quietly Tuesday morning, July 21, 2015, when the DOJ said it would not challenge the reversal of his felony conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Major League Baseball had no immediate comment on the Justice Department decision.

Bonds had been convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011 for his rambling testimony given before a grand jury in 2003.

Clemens was acquitted in 2012 on charges that he lied to Congress.

Bonds was called before a grand jury investigating BALCO in 2003. The case originally came up surrounding Bond’s testimony about his use of steroids with personal trainer Greg Anderson.

More than a decade after federal agents turned up a link between home run king Barry Bonds and an infamous Peninsula lab that spread steroids throughout sports, the legal case against the former San Francisco Giants slugger is officially over.

Bonds had been sentenced in 2011 to two years’ probation, 250 hours of community service, a fine of $4,000 and ordered to spend a month of monitored home confinement.

In 2013, a 9th Circuit panel upheld the initial ruling, stating that factually true statements that are intended to mislead or evade can lead to an obstruction of justice conviction. He served the home confinement before the conviction was overturned.

For Bonds, the clearing of his criminal record could provide ammunition for his stated goal of eventually gaining entry into baseball’s Hall of Fame, although the baseball world long ago concluded he used performance enhancing drugs to boost his career, and Bonds himself testified that he was simply not aware the substances he was taking were steroids known as the “cream” and the “clear”.