Former San Francisco 49er and Oakland Raider Dana Stubblefield was fined $5,000 and placed on two years' probation Friday for lying to a federal agent about steroid use, a sentence prosecutors recommended because of his cooperation in an investigation of drugs in pro football.
Dana Stubblefield leaves Bay Area Federal Court House.
Stubblefield, 38, pleaded guilty last year to making false statements to an Internal Revenue Service agent in November 2003, a few days before NFL drug tests showed he had taken steroids.
He admitted lying when he denied to the agent that he had taken the steroid THG, known as "the clear," or the oxygen-boosting drug EPO, and when he said he had not received those substances from Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in Burlingame.
Conte and four others later pleaded guilty to illegally distributing drugs to athletes through BALCO. Former San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds is scheduled to go to trial next month on charges of lying to the grand jury that investigated BALCO by denying he had ever knowingly used steroids.
Stubblefield declined to make a statement at Friday's sentencing hearing in San Francisco and refused to speak to reporters afterward.
Stubblefield, a defensive tackle, was drafted by the 49ers in 1993, was named the league's defensive rookie of the year, and was named to the All-Pro team from 1994 through 1997. He spent the next three seasons with the Washington Redskins, then played two more years with the 49ers and a final season with the Raiders before retiring at the start of the 2004 season.
The NFL had announced four-game suspensions for Stubblefield and three Raiders teammates, linebacker Bill Romanowski, center Barret Robbins and defensive end Chris Cooper, in 2003 after the league's Web site reported that all four had tested positive for "the clear." The league later dropped the suspensions and imposed fines instead.
Stubblefield is now an assistant football coach at Valley Christian High School in San Jose.
Federal sentencing guidelines recommend probation or up to six months in prison for the charge to which Stubblefield pleaded guilty. The court's probation office recommended three months of home confinement, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nedrow said Stubblefield has "cooperated fully with the government's investigation of the NFL" and deserves leniency.
In court papers filed Friday, prosecutors said Stubblefield "has provided timely, truthful and helpful cooperation" since his guilty plea. (AKA Dropping Dime to avoid jailtime - wil).
He has spoken to investigators about "the distribution and use of illegal steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the National Football league, providing the names of players, trainers and others associated with the NFL who may be involved in ongoing activities with illegal drugs in professional football," prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who sentenced Stubblefield, also commended him for his cooperation with authorities and his support of local sports programs.
SFGate.com
Dana Stubblefield leaves Bay Area Federal Court House.
Stubblefield, 38, pleaded guilty last year to making false statements to an Internal Revenue Service agent in November 2003, a few days before NFL drug tests showed he had taken steroids.
He admitted lying when he denied to the agent that he had taken the steroid THG, known as "the clear," or the oxygen-boosting drug EPO, and when he said he had not received those substances from Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in Burlingame.
Conte and four others later pleaded guilty to illegally distributing drugs to athletes through BALCO. Former San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds is scheduled to go to trial next month on charges of lying to the grand jury that investigated BALCO by denying he had ever knowingly used steroids.
Stubblefield declined to make a statement at Friday's sentencing hearing in San Francisco and refused to speak to reporters afterward.
Stubblefield, a defensive tackle, was drafted by the 49ers in 1993, was named the league's defensive rookie of the year, and was named to the All-Pro team from 1994 through 1997. He spent the next three seasons with the Washington Redskins, then played two more years with the 49ers and a final season with the Raiders before retiring at the start of the 2004 season.
The NFL had announced four-game suspensions for Stubblefield and three Raiders teammates, linebacker Bill Romanowski, center Barret Robbins and defensive end Chris Cooper, in 2003 after the league's Web site reported that all four had tested positive for "the clear." The league later dropped the suspensions and imposed fines instead.
Stubblefield is now an assistant football coach at Valley Christian High School in San Jose.
Federal sentencing guidelines recommend probation or up to six months in prison for the charge to which Stubblefield pleaded guilty. The court's probation office recommended three months of home confinement, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nedrow said Stubblefield has "cooperated fully with the government's investigation of the NFL" and deserves leniency.
In court papers filed Friday, prosecutors said Stubblefield "has provided timely, truthful and helpful cooperation" since his guilty plea. (AKA Dropping Dime to avoid jailtime - wil).
He has spoken to investigators about "the distribution and use of illegal steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the National Football league, providing the names of players, trainers and others associated with the NFL who may be involved in ongoing activities with illegal drugs in professional football," prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who sentenced Stubblefield, also commended him for his cooperation with authorities and his support of local sports programs.
SFGate.com
