December 16, 2007
Pettitte Admits to Using HGH
Andy Pettitte is a cheater. He confirmed this yesterday when he apologized for and admitted to using HGH. In a statement issued yesterday, Pettitte said that he used human growth hormone on two occasions, both to recover from a 2002 elbow injury and not for performance enhancement reasons.
"In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped. This is it - two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list.Now some people applaud his apology, others decry it, but the real question is what happens next?If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize. I accept responsibility for those two days. Everything else written or said about me knowingly using illegal drugs is nonsense, wrong and hurtful. I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable. I wasn’t looking for an edge; I was looking to heal."
Roger Clemens takes the biggest hit from all of this. Pettitte’s statement confirms the accusation of Brian McNamee against him. McNamee also accused Clemens of using steroids and HGH and now his claims become more credible.
But, Pettitte’s apology does more than thrust the spotlight further onto Clemens, it creates a standard for other athletes. If Pettitte is “forgiven” by the fans, the chances are more athletes named in the Mitchell Report will follow his example and admit their guilt. If there is a backlash against Andy, expect athletes to denounce the report and the accusations as made up.
To be fair, Pettitte is probably not a Hall of Fame candidate and therefore didn’t have as much to lose as Clemens. But, in an age where Mark McGwire tells Congress “he isn’t here to talk about the past” and Jason Giambi offers an “apology” without admitting guilt, Pettitte’s candor is refreshing. It’s just too bad he felt the need to cheat in the first place.
Photo of Andy Pettitte pitching by AP/Winslow Townson
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If using HGH was not against the rules in 2002, how exactly is Pettitte a cheater?
I have to wonder, HGH is not an illegal substance, right? And using it was not against the rules of MLB. Pettitte used it a few times to recover from an injury, which seem legit to me. Cortisone is a steroid isn't it? Athletes use that all the time to speed recovery. Shoot, I've taken cortisone shots and it had little to do with getting back to a multi-million dollar athletic career. What exactly is the distinction that makes Pettitte morally culpable of some transgression?
He's not a cheater esp with HGH being unrestricted at that time. The only thing he 'cheated' about was lying that he's never used them.
I'm actually curious about all this nonsense about steroids, HGH etc. What's wrong with them, especially with all these sports stars taking them under strict medical supervision. Have they harmed any of the players who have taken them? How is it any different than taking other supplements except working much more effectively? Steroids are prescribed all the time to treat many illnesses and help with healing. If HGH helps with injuries, whats the problem here?
So what's the big deal? Everyone's been doing it, everyone knows that everyone's been doing it, lets just all shut the fuck up and make this shit legal already.
still Andy Boy is a bible thumping Texan, who wants us to buy into his identity as what's right with the game. Yet here is is doing what, regardless of the legality of the substance, is known in sports circles as an unfair advantage. Its like throwing a spit ball. Its against the rules of fair play.
I'm a Yankee fan and a baseball fan, but I have to think that there was pressure and a coordinated effort from the powers that be to push willing players into this sort of activity, If not overt then complicit by King George's jesters.
Its a matter of ethics, and Andy put himself forward as a religious guy. Clearly he is playing with the same loose moral compass, regardless of how many times he shot up, as the Bonds and Giambi's out there.
ha ha, now this jesus freak and probably a republican is going to be associated with B. Bonds. Clemens is next.
I've always said Jesus freaks don't belong in the Yankees.
he used it to help heal an elbow injury no?
i wouldn't compare his use to Barry "needle nose Bonds.
Andoman, the dangers of steroids is long documented. It damages your heart,organs, fertility, brain etc. It shrinks your balls and renders you infertile! You have fits of rage and uncontrolled emotions. Many players have suffered severe health effects for steroid abuse and many have died from those effects. These athletes are not taking steroids under doctor supervision, they were buying them from a locker room attendant, a towel boy. They were having friends inject them or doing it themselves. There was nothing safe or regulated about the way they used them. There are a lot of different kinds of steroids and they all have their effects but not all steroids are anabolic steroids that have the muscle growth effect that these athletes were seeking.
Who cares what these guys put in their bodies? Willie Mays and others were running around the bases super charged with crank, Joltin Joe was drining espresso and chain smoking in the dugout the entire game, what kind of role models were they for america's yutes...anyone gonna throw then and the rest out of the hall of fame?
Pro-sports are just another aspect of our culture. Why criminalize these turkeys when the President can lie us into a war and get a walk. Corporations pay for cooked science to put off dealing with the obvious destruction of the planet by their handiwork...and we should get front page NY Times stories about Clemens shooting some testosterone precursor into his ass?? Give me a break!
maevemealone: There is a difference between steroid use and steroid abuse. Every danger you list is from steroid abuse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0LEj8IPHGU
Watch that clip. Its interesting. When you abuse anything it can have bad health effects.
Human Growth Hormone is not used in standard medicine to speed recovery. It is used by people with dwarfism and people with AIDS. A legitimate doctor would never prescribe it to anyone to help them recover from an injury - that answer is pretty much B.S. It does give you an "edge".
AND, Pettite inquired about using HGH even before his injury.
The excuse they offer for using HGH is ''I didn't take HGH for competitive advantage, I only took it to recover quicker''. Quicker recovery time IS a competitive advantage.
The most laughable explanation came from David Justice. He said he chose not to take HGH because it came from a needle. So, he wasn't against HGH, he was afraid of a needle. Little girl.
man, listening to people say "I injected myself with Human Growth Hormone" freaks me the fuck out! they say it so nonchalantly.
"If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize."
That's hardly an apology...
Speaking as a Mets fan: What Pettite did (as alleged in the Mitchell Report and confirmed by his admission) really doesn't strike me as all that big of a deal.
the dangers of steroids is long documented.
HGH is not the same as steroids.
I have to wonder, HGH is not an illegal substance, right? And using it was not against the rules of MLB.
Technically, it was. Using prescription drugs without a prescription has been illegal in the MLB since 1971. It was just never specifically named on the "banned substances" list.
I say let these guys do whatever makes them play better. As long as its out in the open, and not a secret, there's no unfair advantage. And if these things are so bad for you, as the video says: 'where are the bodies?'