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Former Mets employee pleads guilty to distributing steroids to MLB players

A former New York Mets clubhouse employee pleaded guilty on Friday to distributing steroids to Major League Baseball (MLB) players and is cooperating with the league's doping investigation.

Kirk Radomski, 37, admitted providing steroids, human growth hormone, Clenbuterol, amphetamines and other drugs to "dozens of current and former Major League Baseball players, and associates, on teams throughout Major League Baseball," San Francisco US Attorney Scott Schools said.

"The distribution of anabolic steroids to professional athletes cheats both the paying public and the clean athletes and is a serious crime," Schools said. "This investigation shows that distribution of performance-enhancing drugs continues to be an issue for sport in America. This office is dedicated to pursuing those who benefit from such crimes."

Friday's guilty plea was obtained by the same team of government investigators that probed the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) for unlawfully distributing regulated substances like steroids.

The investigation and prosecution of its executives implicated high-profile athletes Tim Montgomery, Marion Jones and Barry Bonds, who is closing on US baseball's career home run record.

All three, who testified in 2003 before an federal grand jury, have denied taking banned substances.

The BALCO case also sparked US congressional hearings that have garnered national attention with the testimonies of several former MLB all-stars.

"We support the efforts of the US Attorney's office in combating the illegal use of performance-enhancing substances and we are encouraged that the US Attorney has insisted Mr. Radomski cooperate with [former Republican] senator George Mitchell's investigation as a condition of the plea agreement," MLB president Bob DuPuy said in a statement.

"We urge all personnel connected with Major League Baseball to come forward with whatever information they may have that will assist senator Mitchell in his investigation," DePuy's statement said.
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