Ex-football captain fined for steroids

BANGOR – A former captain of the University of Maine football team pleaded guilty Friday in 3rd District Court to possessing steroids and was ordered to pay a $400 fine.

Benjamin A. Christopher, 25, who listed addresses in Bangor and Tewksbury, Mass., in court documents, also pleaded guilty to driving after his license was suspended and was ordered to pay a $200 fine.

Christopher, who captained the UM team in 2000 while a senior, admitted in court to having 27 steroid pills when he was stopped for speeding Nov. 20 by Orono police. He was charged with unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, a Class E misdemeanor.

Christopher’s case does not appear to be related to the recent federal charges against his former teammate.

Stephen Cooper, a 23-year-old All-America linebacker from Wareham, Mass., pleaded guilty Dec. 20 in United States District Court in Bangor to possession of more than 1,200 steroid pills.

The two former football players did not have the same kind of steroids, according to court documents and law enforcement officials. Christopher had pills identified as Winstrol (stanozolol) steroids while Cooper’s pills were oxymetholone.

A state trooper found Cooper’s pills Nov. 1 in a duffel bag in a car in which he was riding. The car was stopped for speeding on Interstate 95 in Hampden.

Anabolic steroids, which are used to increase muscle mass, are illegal unless prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons. Their use is banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Christopher was a running back and wide receiver for the Black Bears. As a senior, he had 41 carries for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 237 yards and 3 TDs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.