Some of the biggest names in American sport were linked to the illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs today following the publication of the highly anticipated Mitchell Report.
Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada were named Thursday in the report by Senator George Mitchell which contained the results of a 20-month investigation into the use of drugs in Major League Baseball.
Former United States Senate majority leader Mitchell was appointed by baseball commissioner Bud Selig to examine the sport's involvement in the use of illegal substances such as steroids and Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Mitchell held a news conference this afternoon to address the report and discuss the period he referred to as ‘baseball's steroids era’.
‘For more than a decade, there has been widespread illegal use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball in violation of federal law and baseball policy,’ Mitchell said.
‘It is a fact that between five and seven percent of baseball players who participated in anonymous survey testing in 2003 tested positive.
‘Those figures almost certainly understated the actual level of use, since players knew they would be tested at some time during the year.’
Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Brian Roberts, Eric Gagne, Jose Guillen, Troy Glaus, Paul Lo Duca and Gary Matthews Jr also were among the current players linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the 311-page report.
‘Former commissioner Fay Vincent told me that the problem of performance-enhancing substances may be the most serious challenge that baseball has faced since the 1919 Black Sox scandal,’ Mitchell said in the report.
‘The illegal use of anabolic steroids and similar substances, in Vincent's view, is 'cheating of the worst sort.'
‘He believes that it is imperative for Major League Baseball to 'capture the moral high ground' on the issue and, by words and deeds, make it clear that baseball will not tolerate the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.’
Major League Baseball has not indicated whether players named in the report would be punished.
One of the more surprising names on the list was Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner who helped the New York Yankees win World Series titles in 1999 and 2000.
Clemens and Pettitte had their names submitted to Mitchell by Brian McNamee, a former Yankees clubhouse attendant.
According to the report, McNamee told investigators that he supplied the Yankees pitchers with performance-enhancers.
Renowned as one of the best power pitchers in baseball history, Clemens owns a career record of 354-194 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts in 24 seasons with the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.
The 1986 American League MVP, the 45-year-old Clemens ranks eighth all-time in wins and second in strikeouts, trailing only Nolan Ryan in the latter category.
But the inclusion in the Mitchell Report seriously tarnishes Clemens' reputation and potentially could affect the righthander's supposed status as a future Hall of Famer.
Bonds, who already is under indictment for lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use, also was named prominently in the report.
Baseball's all-time home run king, Bonds was indicted November 15 on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.
