Bud Selig: "So-Called Steroid Era" Statement Sounds as Silly Now as It Did in 2010
By Ty Duffy
MLB is preparing to hammer more than a score of players, including some of the game’s biggest stars, affiliated with just one PED clinic. This reminded us of Bud Selig’s statement in Jan. 2010 after Mark McGwire decided to talk about the past. A triumphal Selig declared PED use in MLB “virtually nonexistent” and dismissed the “so-called steroid era” as “clearly a thing of the past.”
"“The use of steroids and amphetamines amongst today’s players has greatly subsided and is virtually nonexistent, as our testing results have shown,” Selig said in a statement. “The so-called steroid era — a reference that is resented by the many players who played in that era and never touched the substances — is clearly a thing of the past, and Mark’s admission today is another step in the right direction.”"
At best, this was hopefully naive. At worst, it was Selig’s “Mission Accomplished” moment. Or, maybe that was when MLB finally instituted a drug policy with a mandatory suspension for a first offense, 10 years (and multiple times being called before Congress) after MLB GMs estimated 30 percent of players were using steroids.
[Photo via Getty]