Mark McGwire Admits Steroids Use

[EmpireWF]

About 5 years late

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=9533663

Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998. McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

McGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn't include that detail in his statement.

McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire's biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger's reputation.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

....

"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."

The person close to McGwire said McGwire made the decision not to answer questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.

McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday's statement broke his silence.

"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."

McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.

"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."

Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.

"Baseball is really different now — it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

What a joke.

 

[FedEx227]

Surprise. Surprise.

 

[dave]

Not really a joke.
Everyone knew he was on them.

And it's not like he was forced to admit it after his retirement. It's his life.

And he wasn't like Clemens - he didn't lie, he just avoided the topic period.

Frankly, I think his era should rightfully be called the Roid Era and be done with it.

 

[EmpireWF]

The joke is he's only admitting it now b/c he will be in the public eye now that he's coaching with the Cardinals.

If he was sincere about it, why not do it years earlier?

ah well, at least he'll never be a HOFer.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

In another shocking development, steeljake finally admits he's mentally retarded.

 

[FedEx227]

He should've done this 5 years ago and the media probably would've forgot about it a month later (see Giambi, Jason / Roberts, Brian). Obviously McGwire was a bigger star than them, but for him to skirt the question so fantastically as he did really hurt his chances of ever seeing the HOF.

 

[Senser81]

And he wasn't like Clemens - he didn't lie, he just avoided the topic period.

He didn't avoid the topic, he misled the public in hopes they would think he was on Andro instead of HGH/Steroids.

 

[PP]

They all did steroids who cares. At least he came out and admitted it unlike half of the players who let all these big namers take all the heat. Fact is they all did them and it was the players/baseballs fault for letting it go on.

 

[jms493]

seriously.......LMAO!!

 

[EmpireWF]

McGwire will do his first interview with MLB Network at 7pm

 

[FirstTimer]

They all did steroids who cares. At least he came out and admitted it unlike half of the players who let all these big namers take all the heat. Fact is they all did them and it was the players/baseballs fault for letting it go on.

All the players used them? Really?


Care to support that?

 

[Youk]

He should have done this in the first place, and his HOF chances are 0, but it's definitely nice to here an admission from him.

 

[FedEx227]

All the players used them? Really?


Care to support that?

Not all of them, but it's come to the point where we never will know the extent. So why punish those who have actually been picked out or released while letting others who may have done, but never got named go freely.

It's stupid.

Thank you Donald Fehr!

Let them in no matter if they did or not, but make special notes that they may or may not have taken steroids and that the era was filled with alleged steroid and performance enhancing drug use.

 

[EmpireWF]

Enough of the writers who vote for the HOF do not feel the same way FedEx.

A lot of guys who at one point were considered locks, will never make it.

 

[killgod]

Enough of the writers who vote for the HOF do not feel the same way FedEx.

A lot of guys who at one point were considered locks, will never make it.

I wouldn't say never.

The current voters now are probably older than dirt and watched baseball before the roid era yes?

So once these old fucks die and voters that picked up baseball starting in this era get to vote, then I think you might to see things change for these stars.

 

[FedEx227]

Enough of the writers who vote for the HOF do not feel the same way FedEx.

A lot of guys who at one point were considered locks, will never make it.

Which is stupid. I'm fine with borderline guys like Palmero or McGwire missing it because of the use but to not include Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod or Manny is going to be ridiculous.

 

[tribeTILLiDIE]

Wow, this is big. Glad he finally came out and admitted it. Took a very long time hiding it and dodging accusations, but it's good to come clean and admit.

 

[FirstTimer]

Not all of them, but it's come to the point where we never will know the extent. So why punish those who have actually been picked out or released while letting others who may have done, but never got named go freely.

Because it's a known fact that they cheated? Easy answer.

Why should they get a pass and have people let them into the HOF when it's openly know they participated in illegal activiites and broke baseball's rules....for esentially their entire career and during the seasons that even ahd them up got HOF discussion in the first place.

Thank you Donald Fehr!

I blame the players more than Fehr. Fehr was simply the messanger in most ways for what the players wanted or didn't want. If Fehr wanted or didn't want testing it's really a non issue as the final choice on that was left to the players.

 

[mgoblue2290]

McGwire will do his first interview with MLB Network at 7pm

I heard the odds on him crying are 1:1

 

[FedEx227]

Because it's a known fact that they cheated? Easy answer.

Why should they get a pass and have people let them into the HOF when it's openly know they participated in illegal activiites and broke baseball's rules....for esentially their entire career and during the seasons that even ahd them up got HOF discussion in the first place.

So did 101 other guys who will never be named. So did the hundreds of guys listed in the Mitchell Report, so did countless others that will NEVER be named.

The way the information and names have come out has in my mind prevented me from really looking down on those that did, because we never will know the full scope of who was doing it, what players, when, etc. It's completely a dark era. We just happen to be lucky enough to get some spurts of some of the bigger guys that did it.

I don't think they should get a pass, but I don't think they should be ostracized the way you and some others want them to be. They took steroids just like the other 101 guys listed, just like the hundreds in the Mitchell Report and just like hundreds of others in the league at that time that we'll never know the name of. Yes, they were elite players and thus get more spotlight, but it just seems weird to punish only those whose names get out and while others will be able to get off cleanly.