Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying performs in San Bernardino, California

As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis was on steroids when he tried to hire a hitman to kill his wife, the singer’s lawyer said yesterday in court.

Thomas Warwick, the singer’s lawyer, said heavy metal vocalist began taking steroids after getting into body building, according to the U-T San Diego. ”His thought processes were devastatingly affected by his steroid use,” Warwick said in a statement. Lambesis was arrested earlier this month and charged with soliciting an undercover police office to kill his estranged wife for $1,000. He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment.

Tim Lambesis Arrested in Murder-for-Hire Plot

Lambesis’ eight-year marriage with wife Meggan reached a pivotal point last summer when the singer revealed to his wife in an e-mail that he no longer loved her and admitted that he no longer believed in God. Meggan later learned that her husband had also had multiple affairs throughout their marriage and also had a girlfriend at the time.

Meggan filed for divorce in September 2012, citing irreconcilable differences, and noting her husband’s recent preoccupation with bodybuilding; she also expressed concern regarding his ability to care for their three adopted children from Ethiopia, providing examples of the rocker spending hours at the gym, or falling asleep by a pool, when he was supposed to be caring for the children.

Anabolic steroids are prescription-only drugs which are sometimes taken illegally to increase muscle mass and athletic performance. They are becoming more readily available through on-line sites which offer advice and information on how to get the ‘perfect body’. This has led to the number of steroid and other performance and image enhancing drug users accessing needle exchanges and treatment services increasing nationally. Numbers are also rising in the East Riding, where over 10,000 needles have been issued through the Pharmacy Needle Exchange network since April 2012 in a pack designed for anabolic steroid injectors. These packs now make up a quarter of all needle exchanges in the region.

“very little is known about anabolic steroid use in the general population”

Public health officials say despite media interest and evidence about the use of performance and image enhancing drugs in the sports arena, very little is known about their use in the general population.

Tony Margetts, the council’s substance misuse manager, said: “Anabolic steroids mimic the effects of the male sex hormone, testosterone. Along with exercise and a suitable diet they enable the body to develop muscle faster than they would normally. As they mimic testosterone they fool your body into thinking it no longer needs to produce this hormone and this can lead to a number of adverse side effects such as a reduction in fertility, rapid mood changes and sexual dysfunction. Additionally, they put added pressure on your liver and heart, increasing the risk of strokes.”

The council has created an information leaflet in conjunction with service users, practitioners from drug treatment services and gym instructors from its leisure centres. This is available to download from the drug information pages of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s website.

Special agents with the Department of Homeland Security arrested Richard Gray, 60, who works as a personal trainer.

Gray was arrested as he attempted to pick up a package containing steroids, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the Complaint:

On April 23, agents of Customs and Border Protection conducted a routine border inspection of a package that was shipped from China to a package consignment store in Edison.

The package was addressed to Custom Parts, in care of the consignment store. When customs inspected the package, agents found approximately 110 ampules that were individually labeled as different types of anabolic steroids, including “Mastabol, Dromastanolone Enanthate,” “Testosterone,” “Boldenone Undecylenate,” “Nandrolone Decanoate,” and “Testosterone Enanthate.”

Store employees identified Gray as the person who was supposed to pick up the package and told investigators the store was holding another package for Gray, which was nearly identical to the first package and had been sent by the same shipper. Gray was arrested when he arrived at the store to pick up the second package.

Gray then consented to have his home searched. Investigators found in the storage room in Gray’s basement a substantial amount of anabolic steroids, which were in both liquid and pill form. Some of the steroids were meticulously labeled and organized in boxes and individual trays, which were then placed on metal shelves. Others were stored in large, gallon-sized plastic bags.

Gray is scheduled to make a first appearance in court later today.

http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2013/05/us_attorney_personal_trainer_t.html

David Price, Rays Athletic Training Staff, and the Taylor Hooton Foundation to educate local Tampa Bay area youth about the Importance of Leading Healthy and Active Lives

WHAT: 2013 national PLAY Campaign event to be hosted by the Tampa Bay Rays

PLAY, which stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth, is a national public awareness campaign of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS), in conjunction with the Taylor Hooton Foundation and MLB Charities. On the heels of the release of a national survey about the American’s perception of steroid use among today’s youth, done by PBATS, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the PLAY Campaign educates America’s young people about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as important decision making regarding performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). The 2013 PLAY Campaign will host events in all 30 MLB stadiums.

WHO:

DAVID PRICE, Rays Starting Pitcher

RON PORTERFIELD, Rays Head Athletic Trainer

PAUL HARKER, Rays Assistant Athletic Trainer

MARK VINSON, Rays Assistant Athletic Trainer

KEVIN BARR, Rays Strength and Conditioning Coordinator

DON HOOTON, Taylor Hooton Foundation

LOCAL TAMPA BAY AREA YOUTH, 75 Kids

WHEN: Saturday, May 25 | 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Tropicana Field, One Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33705

WHY:

Created in 2004, the PLAY program was formed to raise awareness about children’s health issues and the obesity epidemic in the United States. Since 2004, the PLAY campaign has conducted over 150 events inside all 30 MLB stadiums, reaching tens-of-thousands of America’s young people with positive messages about making healthy decisions and living a more active and healthy lifestyle. In 2008, the Taylor Hooton Foundation joined the PLAY campaign to incorporate its anti-steroid education and generate awareness about one of the fastest growing drugs in America. Young people often lack the education and information about training and eating the healthy way, while staying away from drugs and putting their health and lives at risk.

PLAY events run approximately two hours in length. The kids participating are divided into groups and rotate through a series of stations. Stations touch on everything from healthy eating, injury prevention, a strength and conditioning station, and education about the dangers of steroid abuse.

CONTACT:

Sam Radbil
PLAY Campaign Coordinator
sam@theromanogroup.com

ATHENS – As Georgia prepares to begin preseason football practices Thursday, Georgia offensive lineman Kolton Houston remains ineligible to compete for the Bulldogs, the school confirmed Thursday.

Houston, a redshirt sophomore offensive tackle from Buford, was ineligible last season due to what Georgia would say is only was “an NCAA issue.” But according to 10 pages of documents and letters released to the AJC on Thursday, Houston has been actively appealing a positive NCAA test for a banned substance since April of 2010.  At that time, Houston was informed he had tested positive for “19-norandrosterone” — an anabolic steroid — in a random drug screening.

According to appeals documents filed with the NCAA and president Mark Emmert, Houston has continued to test positive since then, though the school and family contend there has been no re-use of the substance and the levels have declined to the point of being disadvantageous. Houston reportedly was administered the steroid after surgery for a high school shoulder injury.

According to UGA, Houston will be able to continue to practice but will be unable to play until he’s able to produce a clean test.

Georgia coach Mark Richt, who has been asked about Houston’s availability repeatedly since last fall, finally addressed the situation openly Thursday at the team’s preseason news conference.

“It’s been a difficult situation for Kolton and his family and us as coaches, continuing to assume it’s gonna get out of there but it just hasn’t. You’ve been asking me questions for a while and I’ve been saying, ‘Hopefully we’ll be ready to go.’ Well, he’s still not ready to go. It could happen any time really.”

Houston is listed as the No. 1 right tackle heading into preseason camp. Initially Richt said sophomore Watts Dantzler will step into the starting position with true freshman John Theus competing for playing time.

The Houston family approved the release of the documents, which otherwise would be protected by federal privacy laws. Family lawyers and Georgia have continued to appeal the case.

The latest appeal came on July 12 when athletic director Greg McGarity sent a personal letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert:

“Mr. Houston, his parents and our staff acknowledge the fact that the results of that test severely impacted his ability to compete as a student-athlete at UGA, and the Houston family accepted the responsibility for this unfortunate situation. Since the initial test confirmation on April 13, 2010, Mr. Houston has been tested very frequently by the NCAA and UGA, and there is scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates that there has been no re-use  over the past 2 1/2 years. While we have fought for Mr. Houston’s restoration of eligibility through every imaginable NCAA process available without any success, we will maintain our effort to see this through to the very end. It is disappointing to witness this scenario play out for  2 1/2 years with Mr. Houston’s eligibility in question. . . . We are appealing to you on behalf of the young man who has done everything possible to clear himself.”

Georgia did not get the reply it sought from Emmert. In a July 31 letter, he wrote:

“While I understand the institution’s empathy for Kolton’s situation, I am surprised the institution would make such a request. That surprise stems in part from the fact that Kolton tested positive in subsequent drug tests after his initial sanction, and the Drug Test Appeals Subcommittee did not impose additional sanctions . . . due to the “declining value” argument that supported the conclusion that there was no use of the banned substance. The exit test policy, however, which would require Kolton not to have elevated levels of the banned substance in his system prior to competing against other student-athletes who are competing clean, is not something that can be appealed because doing so would undermine the purpose of the drug-testing program. . . . The fact remains that  Kolton currently has the presence of a banned substance in his system and will not be able to participate in NCAA competition until that presence drops to an appropriate threshold.”

Here’s Georgia’s official statement on the subject:

“Prior to his enrollment at the University of Georgia, Kolton Houston sustained a shoulder injury while participating in high school football. During the recovery process he was unknowingly given a substance which was banned by the NCAA. During normal NCAA randomized drug testing for student-athletes, Kolton was tested during the first semester and tested positive for Norandrolone, a performance enhancing substance. Per NCAA guidelines he was banned from competition for one year and lost one of his four years of athletic eligibility. The University of Georgia Athletic Association has worked closely with the NCAA, the National Center for Drug  Free Sport, Kolton and his family to restore his eligibility. Although he remains ineligible for competition at this time, he is eligible to practice and train with the team and remains on scholarship. His family has requested that the Athletic Association release information related to his NCAA status. Per their request, five letters related to his appeal along with supporting documentation are being released.”

Here’s a statement from Ron Courson, UGA’s director of sports medicine:

“This is an extremely unique and complex case. The banned substance use occurred prior to his enrollment at the University of Georgia. During the past 2 1/2 years while at Georgia following the positive NCAA test, our testing clearly demonstrates Kolton has had no further re-use. We feel strongly he’s deserving of the three remaining years of eligibility and (will) continue to work toward restoration.”

Here’s Richt’s comments on the situation made at the preseason practice news conference Thursday:

“Kolton obviously hasn’t been playing. He’s had an eligibility issue. Kolton’s family asked if we would make some things available. There’s a packet of things that you’ll all receive. It’s fairly technical stuff. … Ron Courson will be available later today. … We were going to wait until tomorrow but we figured we would just have it today so when you [write] your stories you’ll have all the information…

“Basically prior to Kolton coming to Georgia he had a shoulder surgery and unknowingly was given a substance that’s banned by the NCAA. So he ended up testing positive for that substance. It wasn’t like a recreational drug or anything like that.  . . .

“The NCAA has a protocol that if you test positive for that kind of thing, you miss a year of competition. So his first year he missed a year of competition. Over time you assume this substance will leave your body and you get to the point where the NCAA says you can go back and play. We’ll, we’ve been waiting for that moment and it hasn’t come. It’s been 2 ½ years and this thing, for whatever reason, has not gotten out of it. Ron will be able to tell you the story behind it. But he’s been tested probably more time than anybody in the history of college football. We’re 100 percent certain that he hasn’t continued to take this thing. It’s just never gotten far enough out of the system for him to be declared eligible to play. That’s about as much as I can explain in layman’s terms. Ron will be able to explain. The file’s a whole lot thicker than this but whatever Ron gives you all will hopefully help you understand better. …

“What does that do for us as a football team? We have to prepare as if he won’t be able to play. … We’ll have Watts Dantzler there, and Theus backing him up at the right tackle position.”

http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2012/08/02/georgia-ol-kolton-houston-still-ineligible-due-to-banned-substance/

Natalia Volgina

TWO Oceans Marathon women’s winner Natalia Volgina of Russia has tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids) said on Thursday.

Volgina could face a two-year ban and be stripped of her title and R250,000 prize money if found guilty by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Saids CE Khalid Galant said the 36-year-old was tested after she completed the annual 56km ultra-marathon on March 30, as per the normal doping control procedure for athletic events.

“At the conclusion of the 2013 Two Oceans Marathon Saids conducted a total of 24 doping control tests on the top finishers,” Mr Galant said.

“Only one test came back positive for a banned substance.”

Volgina won the race in three hours, 38 minutes, 38 seconds (3:38:38), finishing more than a minute ahead of Zimbabwean Tabitha Tsatsa, who finished second.

It was the Russian’s second Two Oceans victory and her first in 11 years.

Mr Galant said the race organisers were notified of the positive result and the case was reported to the IAAF and Russian Athletics Federation. These two bodies would preside over the case to hear the charge against the athlete.

Mr Galant said Volgina retained the right to request a confirmation test of her B-sample, to determine whether her A-sample result was correct.

He said international athletes competing on South African soil came under the same scrutiny and drug testing rules and regulations as South Africans.

“We are part of a global anti-doping network, therefore no international athlete competing in South Africa should think that they will not be tested. Conversely, this also applies to our athletes that compete internationally and who are tested by our anti-doping agency counterparts.”

Last month, Comrades Marathon champion Ludwick Mamabolo was cleared of doping charges due to irregularities in the post-race testing process.

Mr Mamabolo tested positive for methylhexaneamine in June last year, shortly after he became the first South African in seven years to win the 89km race in KwaZulu-Natal.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/sport/othersport/2013/05/16/two-oceans-women-s-winner-tests-positive-for-steroids

Lawyer for accused singer: steroids had ill effect

The lawyer for a California heavy metal singer accused of trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife says the singer’s mind has been ravaged by steroid use.

U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/16EWVKZ) reports that the detail came to light during a Friday hearing for 32-year-old Timothy Lambesis, who has pleaded not guilty to solicitation for murder. A judge at the hearing reduced Lambesis’ bail from $3 million to $2 million.

Prosecutors say Lambesis, frontman for Grammy-winning band “As I Lay Dying,” paid $1,000 cash to an undercover detective posing as a hitman and gave instructions on how best to kill his wife.

Lambesis’ attorney Thomas Warwick said in court that his client had gotten into body building and steroid use. He said Lambesis’ thoughts were “devastatingly affected” by the drugs.