ESPN
- When asked in an interview whether he used PEDs, former MLB slugger Sammy Sosa seemingly avoided the question by saying, "I never tested positive."
- Sosa appears to have come closer to admitting PED use later in the interview.
- Sosa has been linked to steroids in the past, and those links have kept him out of the Hall of Fame.
Sammy Sosa had a cagey response when he was recently pressed on whether or not he had used Performance Enhancing Drugs during his career, in an interview with Jeremy Schaap on "E:60", simply saying, "I never had a positive test in this country."
"There's a difference between not testing positive and not [using PEDs]," Schaap said. "You're saying you didn't do it."
Sosa paused for a moment before saying, "Once again, you know, I never tested positive."
Schaap did later tell Michelle Beadle and Mike Greenberg on "Get Up!" where Schaap was promoting his interview, that Sosa later said, "I did what I had to do," which Schaap found telling.
Sosa also appeared in front of a congressional hearing on steroids in baseball in 2005. During that hearing, Sosa relied on an attorney to speak for him, seemingly implying that he was not confident in his abilities to speak English.
Sosa has been linked to PED use in the past. He was named on the infamous list of players who tested positive in 2003 when MLB conducted a widespread test to determine the level of usage in the big leagues. That test was supposed to remain anonymous.
The allegations against Sosa have overshadowed a memorable playing career, the highlight of which was Sosa's part in the 1998 home run chase against Mark McGwire, who himself has admitted to steroid use during that season, and have kept Sosa out of the baseball Hall of Fame.