(Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
Though the coroner found elevated levels of testosterone in Benoit's system at the time of his death, it was ruled that the murders were not the result of "roid rage," as the media was widely reporting. The coroner attributed these elevated levels to a treatment program designed to treat deficiencies caused by years of steroid use.
Later tests revealed that Benoit suffered from severe brain damage, a result of years of trauma to the head.
According to his neurosurgeon, Benoit suffered from an advanced form of dementia caused by repeated concussions. This, in turn, can contribute to severe behavioural problems where, tragically, patients will harm either themselves or others.
No. 5: Marion Jones
One of the most decorated and well-known female track and field athletes, Jones admitted to steroid use in October 2007. Though steroid rumors dogged the athlete for years, Jones routinely denied any involvement with doping, even testifying before two grand juries that she had always been steroid-free.
Jones competed in her first Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Though she was aiming for five gold medals, Jones came home with three gold and two bronze, a feat that had never been achieved by a female athlete.
Following the Sydney games, doping allegations continued to follow the Olympic star. For starters, her ex-husband C.J. Hunter had tested positive numerous times for steroid use.
Then, when the BALCO scandal broke, Jones was again implicated as having been one of the many athletes to use "the Clear," a steroid that at the time was undetectable through urine tests.
Ironically, it was Jones' coach Trevor Graham who first exposed BALCO by anonymously sending a used syringe containing Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
In a 2004 interview, BALCO founder Victor Conte told 20/20 that he had personally given Jones five different types of performance enhancing drugs before, after, and during the Sydney Olympics.
However, Jones had never failed a drug test using the testing procedures of the time, and there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the athletes.
In October 2007, Jones admitted to lying to federal prosecutors investigating the BALCO affair. She was stripped of her five Olympic medals, sentenced to six months in prison, and 200 hours of community service.
No. 4: Ben Johnson
After winning a bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Canadian Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson was poised to improve on that result when he arrived in Seoul, Korea for the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Though injuries rattled the sprinter throughout the 1987 season, he was still considered a medal contender.
Facing off against longtime rival Carl Lewis, Johnson breezed through the 100m final, setting a world record time at 9.79 seconds. Subsequent urine tests revealed the sprinter had taken Stanozolol, and he was disqualified three days later.
After testing positive in Seoul, the Canadian government opened an inquiry into drug abuse. Although he initially denied any doping, before the inquiry Johnson admitted that he had indeed been taking performance-enhancing drugs.
His coach, Charlie Francis, also testified that Johnson had been using steroids since 1981.
Johnson remains a controversial figure in Canadian sports. Ordinary Canadians were embarrassed to have one of their athletes shamed on the international stage, and many feel that their country's track and field reputation was only improved when Donovan Bailey won the 100m gold medal in Atlanta eight years later.
Recently, Johnson appeared in an advertisement for the energy drink Cheetah. In the television spot, Johnson promotes the beverage by saying: "I Cheetah all the time."
No. 3: Alex Rodriguez
Rodriguez is considered one of the best all-around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player to break the 500 home run mark, and in 2007 signed the largest contract in baseball history, agreeing to a 10-year, $275 million deal with the Yankees.
In February 2009, Rodriguez admitted to steroid use from 2001-2003, citing enormous amounts of pressure on him to perform. His admission came after Sports Illustrated named Rodriguez as one of the 104 Major League players to test positive after a 2003 drug survey.
This survey, approved by the Players' union on the condition of anonymity, was designed to help determine whether mandatory drug testing was necessary.
Though these results were supposed to be destroyed, a master list was seized during the BALCO investigation and later subpoenaed by federal authorities.
At a Tampa press conference in February 2009, Rodriguez addressed the media and answered questions, telling those present that from 2001-2003, for six months of the year, he would inject himself twice monthly.
He said that the last time he used steroids was after a preseason injury in 2003.
Rodriguez currently employs a large team of PR professionals and image consultants tasked with ensuring that his image remains as unscathed as possible. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is currently in the process of deciding what, if any, punishment should be handed down.
No. 2: Jose Canseco
In 2005, Canseco published his tell-all book titled Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big.
In his book, Canseco admitted to his own steroid use while also specifically naming teammates who had taken performance-enhancing drugs, claiming to have personally injected many of them.
Canseco's book became a New York Times bestseller and led many of his former teammates to be called to testify before various House committees.
Canseco's post-baseball life has become something of a sideshow. He fought former child star Danny Bonaduce in January 2009, with the fight ending in a draw.
He has been arrested twice, once for aggravated assault following a brawl outside a Miami Beach nightclub, the other time for attempting to bring a fertility drug across the U.S.-Mexican border.
In May 2008, his house was put into foreclosure. Canseco says that his two divorces cost him between $7 or $8 million dollars each.
No. 1: Barry Bonds
In 2003, Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, was indicted by a grand jury and charged with supplying anabolic steroids to athletes. Immediately, Barry Bonds was swept up in the controversy.
During his testimony before the grand jury in 2003, Bonds said that he used a clear substance and cream given to him by Anderson, who told him that the products were flaxseed oil and a topical arthritic cream.
In 2007, Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice relating to his testimony surround the BALCO affair.
Once considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Bonds' career is now one giant asterisk. Though he holds the record of 73 home runs in a season, many wonder whether this is a fair crown to place on the head of such a controversial player.
Sadly, these days Mark McGwire's 70 home runs seem equally ambiguous.
Sadly, the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports will only continue to proliferate. New technologies are developed daily, only to feed the increasing demand for near-perfect results.
Increased pressure to perform, coupled with their own high expectations, continue to weigh down on high-performance athletes.
Hopefully, the rise and subsequent fall of so many former superstars will serve as a cautionary tale to anyone tempted to artificially improve their chances of winning through steroids.
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