Bonds’ former girlfriend stands by steroids allegations
NEW YORK (Ticker) - Barry Bonds’ former girlfriend Kimberly Bell has claimed that the former San Francisco Giants slugger’s use of steroids was obvious to those around him, but that no one on the team wanted to challenge the All-Star outfielder.
In an interview with the New York Daily News to promote her forthcoming appearance in Playboy magazine, Bell repeated allegations that Bonds used steroids because he was jealous of the home-run hitting prowess of Mark McGwire.
Bell first made the claim in the book, ‘The Game of Shadows’, authored by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bonds has consistently denied using steroids, but has been strongly linked to the BALCO scandal which has engulfed several athletes.
In the Daily News, Bell said Bonds was concerned that the visible effects of steroids were obvious to others, and said that he would stand in front of the mirror and ask, “Do I look bloated? Does it look funny? Do you think this is obvious?”
Bell insists Bonds’ teammates could not have failed to have noticed.
“I don’t see how anyone could not have known, but everybody looked the other way,” Bell said. “He surrounds himself with yes people. I don’t think he ever considered where this would lead, and as long as he was selling tickets, the Giants were going to cater to him.”
Bell also claims Bonds’ moods changed wildly, and that he threatened her.
“It went from ‘I want to know where you are at’ to ‘I’m gonna (bleeping) kill you. I’m gonna cut your head off and leave you in a ditch’,” she said.
