Conte Denies He Leaked Testimony

Victor Conte said Monday he was not the source of leaks of grand jury testimony from Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and other prominent athletes who testified before the secret panel that indicted Conte and three others for allegedly distributing steroids.

Conte, who founded the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, which is at the center of a sports steroid doping scandal, is being investigated by a grand jury trying to find out who leaked testimony to the San Francisco Chronicle in violation of secrecy rules and a court order.

“I did not ever provide the SF Chronicle with BALCO grand jury transcripts by any means or method,” Conte said in an e-mail to Associated Press. “The facts will eventually come out.”

Conte is subpoenaed to appear today before the San Francisco panel and turn over the contents of the hard drive in a computer from Burlingame, Calif.-based BALCO. He may also be asked to testify.

Authorities raided his San Mateo, Calif., house Wednesday, seizing another computer, a cellphone and lab records in an effort to find whether he was the leak.

Hockey

The International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation, the sport’s ruling body, are leaving the door open for NHL players at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said the decision is up to IIHF President Rene Fasel, who said he would leave the option in place as long as possible to make sure the sport’s best players compete in Italy.

NHL players have been locked out by the league for more than 4 1/2 months.

*

Detroit defensemen Chris Chelios and Derian Hatcher are set to join the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League, Red Wing teammate Kris Draper said.

A Motor City official said the players would sign to play “more than one game” for the first-year expansion team.

Draper will join Motor City if he can acquire insurance.

Jurisprudence

Attorneys for Laker star Kobe Bryant asked a federal judge in Denver to force the woman accusing him of rape to turn over medical and educational records so they can defend him against her lawsuit.

The woman’s attorneys have refused to release the records or identify her healthcare providers, which Bryant’s attorneys said violates court rules and unfairly hinders their ability to defend Bryant and prepare expert witnesses.

*

Rick Neuheisel’s case against the University of Washington and the NCAA started in King County (Wash.) Superior Court, with his attorney claiming that the NCAA set up the former football coach and Washington fired him wrongly.

Neuheisel’s attorney, Bob Sulkin, told jurors that Neuheisel did gamble on NCAA basketball, but did so because he believed he was authorized under a memo written by former Washington compliance director Dana Richardson.

Former athletic director Barbara Hedges fired Neuheisel in June 2003 after he lied to her about interviewing for a job with the San Francisco 49ers and about his participation in NCAA men’s basketball pools.

Miscellany

U.S. ski star Lindsey Kildow bruised her back and a wrist when she crashed into photographers at Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy, during downhill training for the world championships, but said she would resume training today.

*

Former series champion Cristiano da Matta, 31, is returning to the Champ Car World Series after two seasons in Formula One racing, a source close to the team said.