Written by AJ Perez at USAToday.com
Dwight Gooden issued a statement on Monday night where he declared he’s not ravaged by cocaine abuse as former New York Mets teammate Darryl Strawberry declared in multiple interviews.
“I don’t do cocaine and have not in years,” Gooden said in statement provided to USA TODAY Sports.
Strawberry first voiced concern over the welfare of Gooden to The New York Daily News over the weekend after the retired pitcher missed a radio appearance on Thursday. He told the newspaper that Gooden was “a complete junkie-addict” who was in “horrible” condition.
The well-being of Gooden, who was forced to sit out the entire 1996 major league season due to cocaine abuse and has been arrested multiple times on drug-related charges, has been a topic of conversation in the days since.
“I had always been supportive of Darryl, during his best and worst days,” Gooden said in the statement. “I recall the times he was in prison, and I was there for him. I recall the times he struggled with his own addiction, and I was there for him then, too.
“Darryl has always made our differences personal, going back to our days with the Mets. I had hoped we could keep these differences between us, but Darryl could not manage to do that. I am sorry for his inability to show more character and strength. While I was there for him, he obviously was never there for me.”
Earlier Monday, Gooden said in an interview on The Joe Piscopo Show on WNYM-AM that he was healthy, but admitted he has struggled with addiction.
“I do have a drug problem,” Gooden said. “I’ve been an addict most my life. I am an addict.”
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