Former Cardinal first baseman read a prepared statement at the congressional hearing on steroid use in Major League Baseball. McGwire said that he will not answer questions that may incriminate any of his former friends and teammates.
“What I will not do, however, is participate in naming names and implicating my friends and teammates,” he said.
McGwire added, “I’ve never been a person who spread rumors or said things about teammates that could hurt them. I do not sit in judgment of other players, whether it deals with their sexual preference, their marital problems or other personal habits, including whether or not they use chemical substances. That has never been my style and I do not intend to change just because the cameras are on.”
McGwire also said that he will not “dignify” claims in Jose Canseco’s book that he used steroids.
McGwire said, “It should be enough that you consider the source of the statements in the book and that many inconsistencies and contradictions have already been raised.”
McGwire also offered to be the spokesman for Major League Baseball and the players association to warn kids about the dangers of drugs.
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