SimplySchizo Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 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." He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (FSY) last February. Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds (FSY), Roger Clemens (FSY), Sammy Sosa (FSY) and David Ortiz (FSY). Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee. "I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "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." Big Mac's reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a Congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said "I'm not here to talk about the past" when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time. "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 (FSY) 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." Source Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xiphi Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Um, duh? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104336 Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 About as suprising as finding out Clay Aiken is gay. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104354 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajputwarrior Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 (edited) i wonder if they will take away his record? and what about sosa? he was obviously on something too other then the skin bleacher... Edited January 11, 2010 by rajputwarrior Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104356 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xilo Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Don't all baseball players take steroids? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104362 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimplySchizo Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 Should be stripped off the record and given back to Maris. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104390 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted January 11, 2010 Member Share Posted January 11, 2010 About as suprising as finding out Clay Aiken is gay. Yeah. :D It was obvious to me that he has been lying about it for years. As for his records.....steroid use wasn't banned back then, like it is now. I believe his records are safe. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104602 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason S. Global Moderator Posted January 11, 2010 Global Moderator Share Posted January 11, 2010 why did this come out suddenly? was there some news prior to this that i was unaware of? just seems out of the blue... like "i need attention, so here's my confession" Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104614 Share on other sites More sharing options...
metallithrax Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 About as suprising as finding out Clay Aiken is gay. Say it aint so!! Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104636 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Griffin Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Yeah. :D It was obvious to me that he has been lying about it for years. As for his records.....steroid use wasn't banned back then, like it is now. I believe his records are safe. I agree! I hate when people are given crap for taking steroids / HGH BEFORE it was against the rules. That's like if I was driving down the 55mph freeway and next week, the change the speedlimit to 45mph, and go back and give me a ticket for today. Doesn't make any sense to punish people for doing something that, while it is against the rules now, wasn't against the rules back then. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104658 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajputwarrior Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 when were steroids legal in baseball? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104762 Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Yeah. :D It was obvious to me that he has been lying about it for years. As for his records.....steroid use wasn't banned back then, like it is now. I believe his records are safe. They were technically banned (it's illegal to take steroids not prescribed by your doctor for some kind of condition, which would go against his contract and MLB substance abuse policy), but they just weren't testing specifically for it. why did this come out suddenly? was there some news prior to this that i was unaware of?just seems out of the blue... like "i need attention, so here's my confession" Hall of Fame voting. People have mostly forgotten already about Pettite, A-Rod, Manny, and a few others who will be coming up with HoF numbers soon, while Mac is getting about 25% of the votes (need 75% to get in). Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592104990 Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoospa Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Did he lie when he was called for the Congressional investigation about 5-6 years ago or did he take the fifth, I don't remember? If he did he could be in deep poop. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592105006 Share on other sites More sharing options...
soniqstylz Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Did he lie when he was called for the Congressional investigation about 5-6 years ago or did he take the fifth, I don't remember? If he did he could be in deep poop. Neither, he just sidestepped it, which pretty much confirmed to everyone that he had been using. Now, Rafie Palmeiro, there was a man's man, standing defiant before Congress and-- oh wait. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592105044 Share on other sites More sharing options...
notta Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Did he lie when he was called for the Congressional investigation about 5-6 years ago or did he take the fifth, I don't remember? If he did he could be in deep poop. No he didn't lie, he just said I don't want to talk about the past to all the questions. Should be stripped off the record and given back to Maris. What difference does it make since Bonds beat it a few years later. Bonds holds the record. Until he comes clean as well Maris will not get his record back. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/864906-mark-mcgwire-admits-to-using-steroids/#findComment-592105048 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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