Mark McGwire on Monday admitted he used steroids as a player, including the 1998 season when he hit a then-record 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The following is a statement from McGwire released by the Cardinals public relations department Monday afternoon:
"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.
"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season."
McGwire said he regrets his decision to use drugs. At the time, he was heralded — along with Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa — for reviving national interest in baseball.