Valley Man Rebuilding his Life after Steroid Scandal, By: John Thomas Kobos

08/18/2007

Victor Conte has become infamous for his dealings with pro athletes and his connections to steroids. But after serving prison time, Conte is trying to rebuild his life.

Victor Conte is painfully aware of the steroid stigma that goes everywhere he does. He was arrested for giving performance enhancing drugs to professional athletes and Olympians. This weekend he's back home with his new business helping out with an amateur body building contest.

For a man who wanted to be famous and rich, the reason most people know about Victor Conte is for his role in the biggest steroid controversy in sports history. "A new book came out and said that I was the Adolph Hitler of sport who was attempting to create a race of athletes. I'm a good person, " says Conte.

Conte was the founder and president of Bay Area laboratory co-operative, or Balco. It was a sports nutrition center providing sports medicine to top athletes. Conte was later found guilty of conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering. Conte spent four months in federal prison and now says he is trying to rebuild his battered reputation.

Conte says, "I'm in the process of forgiving myself and I hope others will at some point put it in perspective and realize I'm not a bad person."

Conte claims he supplied steroids to Olympic athletes and Barry Bonds personal trainer, but never directly to the all-star slugger. Bonds just broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, but his achievement is clouded by rumors of steroids. Conte remarks, "Barry Bonds deserves all the credit. Barry Bonds was born to do what he did."

Conte says he's rebounded now and has created a new company: Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning and that's what brought him back to his hometown Friday night.

At Gold's Gym, he answered audience questions about sports supplements and proved to be quite popular with those competing in the first annual Ken "Flex" Wheeler amateur body building contest. Professional bodybuilder Dexter Jackson says, "He's worked with a lot of athletes in our business. A lot of athletes in other businesses as well, professional sports."

"He's still human and he still has worthy knowledge and information to give to others to make them better people, " added Troy Alves, also a professional bodybuilder.

Conte will be at Saroyan Theater on Saturday for day one of the Flex Wheeler bodybuilding contest. It's these kinds of athletes that he's hoping to gain as loyal customers of his new line of "legal" supplements.