"This will cause a lot of people to ask, 'Why are we spending resources on this when the economy is struggling and there are bigger issues requiring government attention?' " says David Carter, the director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of South California in Los Angeles. "Collectively, people are tired of it, and perhaps athletes are banking on that fatigue."
That frustration was shared at least in part by US District Judge Reggie Walton, who declared the mistrial after the prosecution brought up a statement made by Laura Pettitte, wife of former Yankees pitcher and key prosecution witness Andy Pettitte, which referred to steroid use.
"Government counsel doesn’t do just what government counsel can get away with doing … I’m very troubled by this," Judge Walton told prosecutors pointedly. "A lot of government money has been used to reach this point. The government should have been more cautious. I don’t see how I can un-ring the bell.”
