According to a New York Daily News exclusive, Barry Bonds failed an amphetamine test during the 2006 season. The newspaper has several sources saying that Bonds indicated teammate Mark Sweeney as the source when informed of his failure. Sweeney’s agent denies it. Sweeney and Bonds have discussed the situation, which Bonds labeled as a misunderstanding.
There was no penalty for failing an amphetamine test for the first time except for regularly scheduled drug tests. A player’s first failure is to be confidential but it leaked out in this case. Right now it’s just another black mark on baseball’s favorite villain.
The NY Daily News also reports in a separate story that the sticking points in the Bonds negotiations are his desire to have his entourage back and language over possible legal problems.
