The Steroid Era is most certainly a messy mark in the history books.
To help add some perspective, former Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent called in to SportsDesk to talk with NESN’s Cole Wright.
Vincent wasn’t shy about his feelings toward those who have turned up as steroid users.
“[Steroids] have been illegal since about 1990,” Vincent said. “I banned them in baseball because they were illegal. The union wouldn’t accept the ban. So even when these guys tested positively in 2003, they were almost certainly breaking a federal law. So it’s hard to have any sympathy for them. They were cheating, they knew they were cheating. They violated a law, and the only reason they weren’t banned in baseball is because the union wouldn’t permit that.”
Vincent also said he believes that the list from 2003 should not be made public.
“I think it’s a more complicated issue than it seems,” he said. “Obviously, there are some very severe legal problems. One is that the parties agreed to keep that list confidential. Two, the list has been subpoenaed in a federal proceeding.
“I recognize people are frustrated that these names keep dribbling out. I don’t think it’s a very appealing circumstance for arguing that the list should be made public.”
The video can be seen below.
