Chapter[ VIII. Information Obtained Regarding Other Players’ Possession or Use of
Steroids and Human Growth Hormone ]
Section[ 2. Six Players Named ]
2. Six players are named in this chapter based on information obtained from
persons other than Radomski or former major league strength and conditioning coach Brian
McNamee. In each case, these allegations are supported by one or more of the following:
(a) checks; (b) prior consistent statements; (c) a statement made about a player’s use where the
witness was a friend of the player identified and under circumstances in which the witness faced
criminal exposure for making a false statement; (d) statements reporting a witness’s direct
observation of the player using a performance enhancing substance; or (e) the player’s own
admission of his use.
3. Brian McNamee said that he was a direct eyewitness and participant in
alleged illegal use by three players who he served as a personal trainer. I interviewed him three
times (in July, October, and December 2007), once in person and twice by telephone.371 His
personal lawyer participated in each interview. Federal law enforcement officials and members
of my staff participated with me in all of the interviews. No one from the Commissioner’s
Office, any club, or the Players Association participated in these interviews.
During each of the interviews, the law enforcement officials warned him that he
faced criminal jeopardy if he made any false statements. With respect to two of the players,
371 In addition, a member of my investigative staff interviewed him by telephone on a
fourth occasion in December 2007; his personal lawyer also participated.
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McNamee was acting against his financial interest in disclosing this information. Before the
interviews, McNamee had been debriefed extensively by federal prosecutors and agents. They
subsequently confirmed that the information he provided to us in his interviews was consistent
with the information he had previously provided to them.
The players for whom evidence has been gathered of possession or use, or both,
of illegal performance enhancing substances defy categorization. They include winners of Most
Valuable Player and Cy Young awards, members of All-Star teams and World Series rosters,
players whose tenures in the major leagues were long, and others whose tenures were brief. We
heard often about the pressure on marginal players to use performance enhancing substances
because they believed they needed to do so to keep up with the competition or because the
money was so much greater for those who could make the jump to the major leagues. For
example, Dr. Allan Lans, the former Mets Employee Assistance Program director, visited every
player in the Mets’ minor league organization who tested positive for performance enhancing
substances or drugs of abuse. The players who tested positive for performance enhancing
substances frequently offered this explanation for using them.
From the outset, my objective in this investigation has been “to gather facts,” to
prepare a report that is thorough, accurate, and fair, and to “provide those whose reputations have
been, or might be, called into question by these allegations a fair opportunity to be heard.”372
Each player mentioned in this report, and others not mentioned, was provided that fair
opportunity; each was invited to meet with me, with his personal lawyer and a lawyer from the
Players Association if he so chose, so that I could provide him with information about the
allegations against him and give him the opportunity to respond. Most players declined to meet
372 Statement of Sen. George J. Mitchell, dated Mar. 30, 2006.
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with me. I gave careful consideration to the explanations provided by the few players who did
agree to an interview, or, because of their current major league club employment, were
compelled to do so.
The following discussion is organized in roughly chronological order. Records do
not exist to document every transaction described by witnesses. Radomski stated that, with one
exception noted below, the payments he received from professional baseball players were for
performance enhancing substances, as opposed to personal training or other services, and this
assertion was confirmed by those players who agreed to speak with us about their dealings with
him.
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