McGwire apologizes to La Russa, Selig

Source: ESPN

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- 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.

McGwire statement

McGwire Text of the statement Mark McGwire issued Monday, admitting he used steroids during his career:

"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.

I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season.

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

During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years. 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.

I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry.

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

I'm grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa. I can't wait to put the uniform on again and to be back on the field in front of the great fans in Saint Louis. I've always appreciated their support and I intend to earn it again, this time as hitting coach. I'm going to pour myself into this job and do everything I can to help the Cardinals hitters become the best players for years to come.

After all this time, I want to come clean. 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."

"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."

During a 20-minute phone call with The AP on Monday, McGwire says he called commissioner Bud Selig and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa earlier in the day to personally apologize

Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4816607

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"After all this time, I want to come clean. I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony..."

Wow. So we can all commit perjury or just say "fuck it" and lie? Cool!

"Members of the jury - I am sorry I was not truthful in my earlier testimony. I was not in a position then to tell the truth."

mikey_the_rat

I'd be pissed if I were a St Louis fan. How is he going to coach the players? Link them to BALCO?

Because it's pretty obvious that's what's going on.

Guess I'm not as smart as some.

I'm sure LaRussa said, look, here's a role for you, but if you take it, you have to come
clean about the steroids. You're never going to be a Hall of Famer, and you might as well
admit it before Bonds does. It's a win/win.

"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."

What, TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS didn't make you feel an obligation? Jayzus H.

If I was his attorney I'd have told him to do what he did to. Which was basically decline to answer.

He should go to jail for his congressional testimony and he certainly should be banned from any furhter Hall of Fame consideration.

When asked by Congress if he ever used, he said "I'm not here to talk about the past." He never lied to Congress. It's legal to refuse to answer.

But...Even if he had lied, who cares? Congress lies to us daily, so why can't we do the same?

directly, implied he was clean by pointing to Conseco's character as tarnished and someone whose statements could not be trusted. Which may be true on the whole, but not in this case. You can defend the guy all you want, but rest assured he is now doing this for a paycheck rather than his desire to right a past wrong. Buh-bye Cooperstown.

He basically refused to answer any questions. What would you like to charge him with?

And before anyone whines about how if I didn't care, I shouldn't post, I will add that I am sick and tired of steroids in sports getting so much attention when the world is melting down, economically and literally.

I have never liked this argument. Following the logic, you can ONLY care about one issue - that which is most important. And who decides it? Is it genocide if Africa?

But you need to also call Jose ok.

So he beat them to the punch and admitted it first. That's the only reason this is coming out now.

We all knew this sumbitch was lying in his congressional testimony. But the press loved him - clean cut white guy and all. They cut him a lot more slack than they did for Bonds even though both of them are equally scummy.

As far as I'm concerned the record still belongs to Babe Ruth whose drug of choice was alcohol.

This was a given and it surprised nobody. Plus, Tony LaRussa has been loyal to him to a fault, so there's no way he'd fire him now. I also guarantee you that LaRussa knew about this when he hired him.

That said, I totally agree that both he and Bonds are equally scummy as far as this issue is concerned.

which may be able to be classified as a drug due to the ingredients.

More like, "Sure, you can be the hitting instructor, but we're not going to have the steroids shit following the team around while you work here, so if you want the job, own up to it, and that'll be that."


Pretty simple quid pro quo.

It's a pretty unequivocal statement. He uses the word steroids, he doesn't try and claim that he took them unknowingly and he doesn't blame anyone else.

I've always liked McGwire. I remember when he broke down in tears after announcing that he was donating $1 million to create a foundation to work with kids who have been physically and sexually abused. You could tell it was personal to him.

He came across terribly in his Congressional testimony, and I've begrudgingly rooted against him ever since. Yes, it's a bit of a self-serving statement, but it's also pretty solid and way better than some of the other admissions.

He had a bottle of Andro on the shelf of his locker that was easily viewable to reporters whenever they interviewed him. He never tried to hide it -- particularly since it was sold at GNC at the time. From what I understand, it was there quite often and it was only when someone pointed it out did it become an issue.

None of this excuses him for taking steroids, but the issues are separate.

I think there should be a steroid wing in the HOF for all these players...there are many more that haven't tested positive that were on the juice during that time. In the case of Barry Bonds...olympic style testing, olympic style masking....IMHO.

He sure tainted the public's image of baseball.

The record should still belong to Roger Maris, who did not cheat!

Maybe not 70, but certainly 61+. He hit 49 as a skinny rookie in 1987, totally clean. Maris was also a fluke and doesn't deserve the record. One great HR year.

Fluke or not, he legitimately earned his record. All it takes is one great year to get a record in the books.

That's exactly what that record is: One great HR year.

That's why it's called the Single Season Home Run Record. It's right there in the name.

Maris deserved it because he accomplished it.

McGwire is a straight cheater and deserves nothing but scorn.

...take a look at his rookie card, and then compare that with when he hit all those homers, there was NO doubt he was juicing...

Why after 5 years I wonder? Statute of limitations ran out?

after the big strike. Everyone knew something was up. The entire race for home run records has become a big joke.

It's about time McGwire came out but I didn't think he would ever do so.

N/T

He was openly using Androstenedione (and likely Androstenediol) in 1998 before it was banned and classified a steroid by the government. If he really wants to come clean, he should own up to what he used and how much. Was he juiced to the gills or a light cycle user of andro and nothing else?

In the wake of last week's HOF induction announcement, I read at least two analyses which said that McGwire's best (and perhaps only) chance of eventually being voted in was admitting his steroid use. With his new job putting him back in contact with baseball writers, he has an opportunity to return to a more positive footing with them. But that wouldn't happen if he 'took the 5th' in the clubhouse. It also reduces the amount of attention the issue would otherwise attract, each and every day, had he continued to stonewall.

is guarantee that Keith will have something to talk about other than Sister Sarah getting a gig with Fox.

If LaRussa didn't know what the rest of us could see plain as day, then he's a complete idiot.

I don't think he's a complete idiot.