Rafael Palmeiro, the Baltimore Oriole slugger who denied taking steroids before a congressional committee in March and then took part in a program designed to educate youngsters on the dangers of the drug, on Monday was suspended for 10 days for violating baseball's steroids policy.
Less than three weeks after becoming only the fourth player in history with at least 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, Palmeiro became the highest-profile player of the seven major leaguers suspended under the joint drug agreement between the players' union and Major League Baseball.
In a conference call with reporters Monday, Palmeiro denied knowingly taking steroids, implying he had consumed over-the-counter dietary supplements tainted by a banned performance-enhancing drug. He claimed he subsequently became a victim of the grievance and arbitration process written into the agreement, what he called, "the heavy burden imposed on players who test positive under the new drug policy."
In March, while under oath before the House Government Reform Committee, Palmeiro said he supported the current policy and would even support a program that tracks the much stricter Olympic standards. On that afternoon, he sat before the committee, pointed his finger defiantly, and said, "I have never used steroids. Period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never."
Just more than five months later, he very nearly echoed those remarks, saying, "I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period."
Upon his suspension, Palmeiro, who said he was bound by confidentiality rules in the drug agreement, said, "I unfortunately wasn't careful enough. ... I feel terrible that this has happened."
Previously suspended players have provided detailed explanations, most citing similar circumstances of contaminated supplements, and were not disciplined further.
When he was notified he had tested positive, on a date not disclosed but possibly as long as two months ago, Palmeiro followed the appeal guidelines established by baseball's collective bargaining agreement. The Health Policy Advisory Committee, composed of one or two doctors, a union and a baseball official, voted to send Palmeiro's case to an independent arbitration panel. Only one dissenting opinion is enough to continue the process.
