{"id":19650,"date":"2024-12-21T00:23:20","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T00:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=19650"},"modified":"2024-12-21T00:23:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T00:23:20","slug":"mlb-legend-sammy-sosa-appears-to-admit-to-steroid-use-as-he-reconciles-with-chicago-cubs-i-made-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=19650","title":{"rendered":"MLB Legend Sammy Sosa Appears to Admit to Steroid Use as He Reconciles with Chicago Cubs: \u2018I Made Mistakes\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sammy Sosa\u2019s fractured relationship with the Chicago Cubs appears to be on the mend.<\/p>\n

The retired MLB star, 56, shared a public apology on Thursday, appearing to recognize his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs during his decorated baseball career, writing that he \u201cmade mistakes\u201d in the past, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sosa, who was one of the stars of baseball in the 1990s, has long been accused of using steroids throughout his career, as many baseball players did during that time. His 66-home run season in 1998 still stands as one of the greatest hitting performances of all-time and remains fondly remembered among Cubs fans, who watched him chase rival St. Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire throughout the summer as they raced to break Roger Maris\u2019 long-standing record of 61 home runs in a single season.<\/p>\n

McGwire finished with 70, and Sosa ended up with 66 in one of baseball\u2019s most memorable years \u2013 later becoming the subject of ESPN\u2019s Long Gone Summer<\/em> documentary.<\/p>\n

But seven years after the magical season, both Sosa and McGwire were among a cast of MLB players called to testify in front of the U.S. Congress amid a federal hearing focused on the illegal use of steroids in baseball. While many players from what\u2019s become known as baseball\u2019s \u201cSteroid Era\u201d have admitted to using PEDs \u2014 including McGwire \u2014\u00a0 Sosa has long claimed his innocence, leading to a strained relationship with his former team.<\/p>\n

In his statement Thursday, Sosa seemingly acknowledged the controversy but fell short of explicitly admitting to steroid use: “I understand why some players in my era don’t always get the recognition our stats deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sammy Sosa.MLB via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,” Sosa said in his statement Thursday. “I never broke any laws, but in hindsight I made mistakes and I apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sosa, who is ninth all-time among the MLB\u2019s home run leaders, has been estranged from the Cubs franchise since his 2007 retirement despite his continued adoration among fans. While many former players have returned to act as advocates for the team or make appearances at fan conventions, Sosa\u2019s absence has long been notable among the fanbase.<\/p>\n

Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sammy Sosa.Ron Vesely\/MLB via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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It has long been suspected that Sosa\u2019s refusal to acknowledge his alleged steroid use was the thing keeping him at arm\u2019s length from the Cubs franchise. That became evident Thursday when the Cubs\u2019 current owner, Tom Ricketts, issued a statement from the team shortly after Sosa\u2019s public apology, inviting the retired slugger to the team\u2019s upcoming fan convention in mid-January.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out,\u201d Ricketts said in his statement. \u201cNo one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody\u2019s perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The team\u2019s chairman added that \u201cwe are all ready to move forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sammy Sosa, who is ninth all-time among MLB’s home run leaders, appeared to recognize his alleged steroid use in his apology Thursday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nMLB Legend Sammy Sosa Appears to Admit to Steroid Use as He Reconciles with Chicago Cubs: \u2018I Made Mistakes\u2019 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=19650\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MLB Legend Sammy Sosa Appears to Admit to Steroid Use as He Reconciles with Chicago Cubs: \u2018I Made Mistakes\u2019 - 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