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“Don’t Think He’s Being Consciously Dishonest”- Emmy Honoree Bob Costas Once Expressed His Opinion on Disgraced Legend Mark McGwire’s PED Scandal

Published 09/05/2022, 2:39 PM EDT

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Mark McGwire was an immensely successful player and an equally efficient coach. But he still remains an infamous figure in the world of baseball, nonetheless. Like many other stalwarts in the sport of baseball, McGwire fell into disrepute for PED intake. But world-famous broadcaster Bob Costas once cast him aside from the other steroid users. 

Mark McGwire is a baseball legend who played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. McGwire is a 12-time All-Star player. He is a one-time World Series champion as well. Post-retirement, he guided the Cardinals as a coach to a World Series victory. Following on, he was also a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. 

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Bob Costas is an award-winning sports broadcaster. Costas is a 28-time Emmy recipient for his broadcasting services. He was once a guest on the Graham Bensinger talk show. In that particular episode, Costas reflected on his interview with McGwire and the steroid scandal. 

Mark McGwire: A man apart from the rest 

Mark McGwire joined a long list of tarnished legends in baseball history when he came under the spotlight for steroid usage. A prime reason why none of those extraordinary achievers are Hall Of Fame inductees. McGwire surpassed Roger Maris’ seasonal home run record in 1998. He stacked up 70 homers in that season, which stood as an MLB record until 2001. 

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Years after McGwire’s superhuman milestone achievement, rumors of his possible PED intake began to circulate. He was dismissive of the allegations for many years until finally admitting his mistake in 2010. Post-confession, McGwire had an interview with Bob Costas. They then talked about the steroid scandal in further detail. 

Speaking about the experience of the McGwire interview with Graham Bensinger, Costas said, “Mark McGwire is a really nice guy. I think he’s very sincere in the way he lives his life. Not approving of taking steroids. But I think he has a lot of virtues as a person. I’ve always liked him. He and I always had a good relationship. So when the time came that he wanted to come clean at least to the extent that he did about this.” 

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Further addressing McGwire’s steroid usage, Costas said, “I don’t think he’s being consciously dishonest. I think that he’s convinced, that is the truth. But at least, even if he didn’t fully come around on what most of us would like to have seen him acknowledge, at least he acknowledged something. Almost nobody else has acknowledged it.” 

Mark McGwire: Life after the confession 

McGwire Apologized to everyone, from the MLB commissioner to the Cardinals administration to Roger Maris’ family for his actions. His status fell under disrepute and he lost the credibility required for a Hall of Fame honor. He continued his coaching duties until 2018. Despite the admission of steroid usage, McGwire stated that he could have still scored the home runs he did, anyway. 

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Nonetheless, McGwire’s decision to publicly admit his mistake sets him aside from most other steroid users in the sport.  Do you agree with Bob Costas’ statement? 

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Written by:

Madhurjya Bhuyan

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Madhurjya Bhuyan is an MLB author at EssentiallySports. He has a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in English Literature from Gauhati University and IGNOU, respectively, and also possesses prior professional experience as a content developer. Being a performance artist since childhood, Madhurjya has always aimed to contribute towards creativity in any possible manner, and writing only boosts that desire.
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Edited by:

Rupak Kumar Jha