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Jason Giambi risks suspension, warns MLB commissioner

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is "heading toward" suspending Yankees slugger Jason Giambi next week if he does not cooperate with the steroids investigation by former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, USA Today reported on its Web site early yesterday.

The newspaper, citing a high-ranking MLB official who had spoken with Selig, said the commissioner wants a decision from Giambi by Tuesday. The official was not given permission to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, the paper said.

Selig said on June 6 that he wanted Giambi to meet with Mitchell within two weeks and to "cooperate fully" with the probe, which began in March last year. Baseball said Selig would make a decision on disciplining the New York Yankees designated hitter after Giambi "completed his activities" with Mitchell and that Giambi's level of cooperation would be taken into account by Selig.

The players' association said Giambi, currently on the disabled list with a foot injury, would make his decision after consulting with his lawyer and the union. No active players are known to have spoken with Mitchell.

Giambi told a federal grand jury in December 2003 that he used steroids and human growth hormone, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in December 2004. Before the start of spring training in 2005, the 2000 AL MVP made repeated general apologies at a news conference but never used the word "steroids."

"I was wrong for doing that stuff," he told USA Today in comments published on May 18, `comments many interpreted as an admission he used steroids.

Baseball didn't ban steroids until September 2002 and didn't institute penalties for a first offense in most cases until 2005.
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