In March, while testifying under oath before a congressional committee, baseball player Rafael Palmeiro denied having ever used steroids.
Appearing with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and other baseball stars before a congressional committee on March 17, Palmeiro made an opening statement in which he said: "Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never."
This morning, Major League Baseball suspended Palmeiro for 10 games for violating of the league's new steroid use policy.
The Baltimore Orioles slugger, who recently became only the 4th player in Major League history to record both 3000 career hits and 500 career home runs, remained defiant. Sort of:
"I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period," he said. [Emphasis added] "Ultimately, although I never intentionally put a banned substance into my body, the independent arbitrator ruled that I had to be suspended under the terms of the program." [...]
Palmeiro said the arbitrator "did not find that I used a banned substance intentionally — in fact, he said he found my testimony to be compelling," but still ruled that he needed to serve the suspension. Palmeiro wouldn't go into the specifics but left the impression that the banned substance was contained in a supplement that was not prescribed.
As a seemingly ordinary player who has posted some extraordinary numbers over his career, Palmeiro has for many fans been the poster child for baseball's juiced ball era of the last 15 years. Prior to his reaching 3000 hits, there was even some speculation that he might become the first 500 home run player not to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Ongoing rumors of steroid use turned into outright accusations after Jose Canseco named Palmeiro as a steroid user in his bestselling book "Juiced."
[USA Today] Palmeiro suspended for steroids policy violation
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