Mark McGwire Admits To Steroid Use
Mark McGwire today released a statement to The Associated Press that he did in fact use steroids during his 15 year professional playing career in baseball, including his single-season home run record 1998 season.
Heavy speculation that McGwire used steroids or human growth hormone has followed him almost since that very same record breaking season.
McGwire and fellow former Oakland Athletics team member Jose Canseco, along with New York Yankess's Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte have publicly admitted to using steroids during their recent playing careers. With many other suspected players including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and David Ortiz being implicated in the past, baseball been forced to toughen its drug program twice in the past five years. Prior to the 2004 season, baseball had no mandatory testing program for active players.
"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."
McGwire's statement comes on the heels of his appointment as a hitting coach for his former team, "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.”
But, with his public admission to using steroids, McGwire refocuses the open question in baseball, what to do about the players, known and suspected and their playing records?
Should players such as McGwire be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame? Or even be allowed to work in baseball at all?
Since baseball has not outright banned players who have tested positive for or have admitted to using steroids McGwire is indeed still eligible to work in baseball as well as be included in the Hall of Fame.
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