Mosley and Giambis Testify in Steroid Case

Baseball sluggers Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, boxer Shane Mosley and Oakland Raider teammates Bill Romanowski and Barret Robbins were among the latest athletes to appear before a grand jury in San Francisco probing a nutritional supplements lab.

Also appearing Thursday was Jeremy Giambi, the younger brother of Jason.

“It went good,” Jason Giambi said as the brothers left the grand jury room, accompanied by agent Arn Tellem. “I can’t really talk about it.”

Sheffield, trying to work out a free-agent contract with the New York Yankees, said his appearance went “all right” and flashed a thumbs-up sign as he entered an elevator near the grand jury room.

Jason Giambi plays for the Yankees. Jeremy Giambi played for the Boston Red Sox last season and is now a free agent.

Mosley testified for 30 minutes and was the only boxer subpoenaed in the investigation.

“Shane is not remotely the subject or target of the investigation,” his attorney Judd Burstein said. “They told us they only want information.”

Federal investigators had asked for a sample of Mosley’s urine taken after his Sept. 13 win over Oscar De La Hoya, a fight that took place in Las Vegas.

But Nevada deputy attorney general Keith Kizer said in October that the sample already had been discarded by the lab.

Burstein said that Mosley passed all drug and steroid tests performed after that fight. Burstein said at that time Mosley had used nutritional supplements from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO.

Romanowski and Robbins were among four Raiders notified by the NFL last month that they failed tests for tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, a source close to the investigation told Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The steroid was undetectable in drug tests until this summer.

Neither Romanowski nor Robbins commented after his grand jury appearance. Romanowski also did not comment when asked whether he had used steroids or THG.

Miscellany

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who hasn’t ridden since the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on Oct. 25, will return next week.

Stevens plans to ride That’s An Outrage in the $200,000 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 20, his agent Craig O’Bryan said.

Stevens took the last 1 1/2 months off to fully heal from injuries sustained in a spill at Arlington Park in August.

Serena Williams agreed to terms on a sponsorship contract with Nike, a deal that could be worth close to $40 million over five years, a tennis source told Associated Press.

The agreement has an option for a three-year extension, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The contract includes royalties and performance bonuses for winning Grand Slam tournaments and reaching No. 1 in the rankings.

Former NBA guard Brian Winters was hired as coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

He replaces Nell Fortner, who resigned after the team finished 16-18 last season.

Of the league’s 14 teams, 10 are coached by men, five having played in the NBA.

Chuck Clegg retired after a 24-year career at San Diego State as a soccer player and coach.

Clegg is one of only two coaches in the nation to have guided athletes who played in both the men’s and women’s World Cup.

Formula One drivers could be punished by a point penalty system next season if the head of auto racing’s international body gets his way.

Under a proposal by Max Mosley, drivers who commit an offense on the track would be warned by race stewards.

Drivers would then get penalties ranging from one to 11 points.

More than 12 points in a season would mean automatic suspension for one race.