Bodo,You were more critical towards Roger Federer for his fashion choices than of Andre’s transgressions. Funny that!

Lynne..ofcourse it is disturbing..but it dosen't affect the current players like Roger or Rafa.

It does affect tennis in general and i think attention needs to be given to tennis dads (with Dokic, Steffi cases etc already known)...but Rafa and Roger are currently concerned with how the revelation affects their dealings with WADA. Remember, these players (atleast Rafa and Murray) were trying to get the obtrusive rules modified.

Overall, it is disturbing..but Rafa and Roger's comments are concerned with how the doping case was dealt with. I also think their responses are answers to specific questions about the doping case.

It is very sad otherwise...i recall somebody wrote an article on tennis parents once and how they are more pushy and extreme compared to parents in other sports.

Nearly every person who has any form of a drug habit lies about it - as much to themselves as to others.

It is one of the saddest and most unfortunate side effects aside from the physical toll - until an individual can get themselves clean and off drugs - they are no longer the person they, their family, their friends, their co-workers think they are "suppose" to be - they effectively cease to exist and become an entirely different person - one who can never be fully believed or trusted.

i'm disappointed that roger was up a set and a break, then loses the us open final cause he got cocky and arrogant. that's what i'm
disappointed in.

Again, it is expected that Agassi would lie about it considering that endorsements were on the line..his whole career was on the line. There is nothing surprising about it.

Its the people who were on the panel whose actions are appalling. They believed a dubious letter. That is not the way doping cases are supposed to be handled and it is definitely not fair to other players.

ah sally just gives Feddie a little more hunger for 2010, Id say, instead focus on all those matches he WON in paris and even Wimby, when he could have lost, works for me ...

Im acutally more worried that now the massive pressure on Del Po with cause him to have a collapse, it could very well happen, everyone is gunning for him now, and expectations very high...

Posted by L.Rubin 11/02/2009 @ 4:48 PM

Or,

Didn't Fed say that he was "disappointed" in Agassi? Perhaps that wasn't the harshest of responses, but it struck this reader as unbearably condescending."

What did you want Roger to say, he had to say SOMETHING that showed he didn't condone drug use, especially crystal meth, did you think he would be able to just gloss over the fact and say nothing that showed drugs shouldn't b e used? If you read his entire comment, he said it was "disappointing" but then said that Andre's charity work was first and foremost, in other words, Roger was defending Andre as a person and saying his work as a person to help others was more important. There is certainly no condescension in his comments, except for perhaps what you imagined. And he was one of the nicest in regards to commenting about Andre's admission, so I expect that are others you can find fault with instead if it bothers you that players are criticizing Andre.

great to hear Rogie is feeling great, this big break is gonna pay dividends hopefully now, but def. for early 2010... Rafa, take note, REST is essential as much as practice...

that said, good point about Pete being more offended by Fed's man purse than Agassi taking or lying about doing crystal meth lol ...

RE: Andy Murray, just when I think how much I don't like this kid,
he gives me another view of himself. Andy you are ok by me, I with you think the same way, Andre will always be my HERO. He was the one that made me start back really loving Tennis and will always have my heart. Thank Andre and Andy you think about the game and not what happened 100 yrs. ago. Love you Both and you too Steffie.

AmyLu, I agree with you what you've said at 6:46 pm

And I agree with Rafa a Martina comments about Agassi did 10 or 15 years ego. It doesn't matter when that happened, I don't understand why now Agassi has to confess what he did. It's no necesary at all, it doesn't help anything about tennis, just to make more money, that really bother me

Seaking of "pure projection," what are readers supposed to make of Bodo's preoccupation to make everything about class? Regarding the ESPN post, I'm puzzled as to how Andre's perceived red state image is in any way relevant to the current scadal. If Andre grew up wealthy and dabbled in cocaine, would his redemption be less palatable?

Condemning the philosophy student for cynicism is easy, but then Bodo risks committing fallacies of his own by dismissing the argument by ridiculing the student, and burying the undistributed middle ground. Shoddy, if you ask me.

Adding to the debate-
1) It's not about the crystal meth, it's about the subsequent deception and manipulation.

2) The timing of the confession is what makes me cynical about his motivations. (Saying Agassi isn't motivated by money doesn't let him off the hook. It's funny Bodo mentions rock stars, because that's actually the kind of fame that Agassi's legacy is built on. The book will only confirm the Agassi Image. It's still a calculating move.)

3) There's nothing heroic about the confession because there are no serious repurcussions for him and because it denigrates the sport and the other not so glamorous people involved in the story. Yes, it's his choice to tell the story, but in doing so, he's been remarkably inconsiderate.

I'm not condemning Agassi's drug use or his confession, but I don't think it's admirable either.

One last question, for all Bodo's praise for the unvarnished truth, the Sports Illustrated comments that the coverup incident remains ambiguous. I am waiting for more information.

Have people ever heard of athletics, and if so you might be familiar with drug infringements in that field. How they're dealt with regardless of the person's character, or whether he's a swell guy or more interesting than Pete Sampras. By the way Pete I can't thank you for the sermon on the mount. I'm glad some people aren't sycophants and can see beyond this spin.

Hi again all. Isn't anyone else bothered that Andre admitted he basically lied about everything to do with tennis for his whole career, and now expects every to accept without question that he is telling nothing but the truth now? How can we know that he isn't just on another lying spree? I for one can no longer take him at his word. Nothing to do with the drugs lie, but all the other ones.

I don't have a problem with AA taking drugs but I have a HUGE problem with him lying to his place of employment and his peers. As he was out of the top 100 at the time of getting caught he should of just owned up and copped his punishment like everyone else.

I guess you think it is ok to lie Pete?

If I was Agassi I would of prolly just walked away from my father and not spoken to him again if I hated the sport so much. Does he like the sport now?

isnt the most surprising and perhaps 'disappointing' revelation that he hated playing tennis? i didnt know he was a wind up tennis doll for his dad's purposes, but still... I knew way back when though that he was lying his arse off about his hair, I mean the baseball hat thing went on for years, right? he NEVER took it off!

For all of you who dare to be cynical about the "tell all" aspect, here's a well reasoned article on the problem of Agassi's credibility that doesn't harp on or romanticize the drug problem.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/article6898130.ece

after watching all these pained women players hobble off in tears last week, was a delight to see Rogie show up fit and ready today, certainly dont expect a repeat of last year's dismal year end for mr. Fed...

"I guess you think it is ok to lie Pete?"

maybe he will discuss that aspect of the story in the future, like he specifically said that he would

I certainly do not condone Andre Agassi's drug use. But , given the low point his life had reached during that time period, it does not surprise me. I am so happy for him , that he was able to overcome this dark period of his life and become the giving , mature man we see before us now.
While I would say the timing of this revelation is a well thought out one, - release of the book and the end of the statute of limitations - I would not go so far as to say he is doing this only to sell books. He is a millionaire , many times over . There is more to this story and I think Pete has touched on some valid reasons for Andre's confessions.

The lies to the tribunal / ATP board are disturbing - in that they cast suspicion on present day tennis players . And in that area , is how I interpret Federer and Nadal's comments . Like Amylu , I have no issue with Rafa complaining about the manner in which the tests are given - he does not express an issue with taking the test , just the unreasonable manner of the testing.

I am most concerned about how this perception of leniency is going to be carried forth by the governing bodies in the future. Is this going to start a backlash against any future tennis players who fail a drug test ? We shall see how this plays out within the next week. While many of us blithely sit here and say "Gasquet got off with a flimsy excuse " the truth is that in the coming week his case is being retried in Lausanne , Switzerland following an appeal by both WADA and the ITF. Will this retrial result in Gasquet's suspension once again?

As far as Rafa defending his friend , Gasquet , it is what I have come to expect from Rafa where his friends are concerned. Gasquet has always claimed that the cocaine in his system was there inadvertently - that he did not knowingly snort cocaine at any time . And Nadal believes his friend. I have no doubt , that should at any time in the future , we learn that Gasquet was not telling the truth - Rafa will be among the first who is asked to comment - and I am sure the words "disappointment' and 'betrayal ' will surely be in his statement .

I wonder who chose the most controversial paragraphs to be publicized before the book is released.

Beth...really good post.

thanks, ladyjulia

and you also raise a good question
I mean what is left to read in this book ?
excerpts have been in Sports Illustrated and in People
can there really be much more ?

I would also love to know Mike Agassi's reaction to this book
Petr Graf is not presented in a very good light either , in the SI excerpt

Grant to me Pete left the most important part to another time, like he is still thinking about it.

I think it is great AA survived and has does great things and found the love of his life. I don't even mind that he is telling his story but the fact still remains he lied. I'm sorry but I can't handle people who lie.

Beth - I know you like Gasquet but I don't think I will be watching him for a while because he lied as well. As for Rafa well sometimes I think he is a bit naive as he has had a priveleged upbringing.

well, I was not sure that Agassi was wearing a hairpiece
but , I knew he was balding
because I married into an Armenian family and have seen more than my fair share of balding Armenian men to have some idea of what was to come for the young Andre

I would like to know where was AA's mother while all this was going on. Also what did his other siblings think.

sorry tim, roger winning roland garros and
wimbledon just isn't enough for me. he won
those without having to play his nemesis.
nadal won both by beating the "GOAT"
at least if roger had won the us open
it would have been 6 in a row which
hadn't been done since the 20's.

Whew, just got through all the comments, and am somewhat comforted by how lively the discussion is.

Grant wrote, "While there's certainly a lot more to talk about here, as somebody who has read or heard 'he's just admitting to this now to sell books' approximately eleventy billion times in the last week, I guess I'm part of the bothered minority." This sentiment seems to echo Bodo's accusation against the cynics.

I can't agree. Yes, many fans and critics are suspicious about the timing of the confession. But money is not the only reason to want to sell books. (And it says a lot about Pete's own preoccupation with money and image, as some posters have pointed out.) There's money, which the rich love. Then, there's fame, and competitiveness with other tennis biographies, wanting to distinguish himself, etc. I'm sure the motivations are complex, but it's hard to deny they're opportunistic.
And like many others, I understand why Agassi used and lied. But confessing it now leaves a mess that Agassi doesn't have to clean up- just witness all the suspicion cast in the ATP's direction.

sally - too bad for you then.

"dare to me cynical." ??? No 'daring' required. Easy as bitter herb pie.

that is , of course, your prerogative , Angel

I know , I do like the kid .And call me crazy - I believe him, too . I find it hard to believe that anyone could - ON PURPOSE - snort less that 5 grains of salt of cocaine. That proven by tests had to be consumed between 9pm and 3am on the night prior to the test . ( those are the drug test results )
I prefer to believe that this infinitesimally small sample got into his system via some indirect manner - via a drink, a kiss , handling change at a bar filled with cocaine . Good lord, you could get that little cocaine in your system if you scooped up your change and picked your nose . It would be simpler than cutting out 5 grains of salt on a crowded VIP table and inhaling . But that is just me

and that is not what this post is about
I just don't want Gasquet to be made an example of because of Andre's lies. He took - or somehow consumed a miniscule amount of cocaine , that he claims he did not inhale on purpose . And for that he received a three month suspension. It is enough . Let him move on.

Also, in the excerpts provided by SI and Times...they only talk about the feelings that Agassi got when he took the drug..there is nothing about how he recovered, how he dealt with getting rid of the addiction (which must have been hard I am sure).

Apparently, for that you have to buy the book.

If he wants youngsters to learn from his mistakes..it would have been advisable to print the excerpt where he dealt with the recovery of his drug use rather than the first time he got high.

As I said way back in the first page, I find the Daddy Dearest aspect of the book the most troubling and disturbing.

And I am also still much more curious about what Andre's contemporaries have to say about him than anything that Fed or Rafa has to say. I wonder if they haven't said anything or if they are not deemed interesting enough to be quoted. I also wonder if Andre tipped off Pete and or Todd Martin when he played them in that Seniors tournament recently.

Why are we talking about Roger in this thread this is about AA?

so did Steffi know about all this, she who was so private and hated bad publicity?? isnt she a little tarnished by this? and what of Brooke Shields? she cant be too happy with this happening right under her nose (pardon the pun)...

and i doubt that dabbling in meth for half a year at most on and off would lead to needing official treatment for 'addiction' ... sorting out his emotional life would do wonders for saying no once and for all to this kind of escape

Agassi received his 4 (or 5) million dollar advance on the book a long time ago. And I'm sure that he got an advance bigger than most other tennis players received for their books because he agreed, in writing, to talk about drugs, his horrible father, his Brooke Shields connection etc.

Whether money was THE motivating factor in making him agree to discuss these topics in detail or whether he just wanted/needed to unburden himself is anyone's guess.

Now, the publishers have to recoup the 4 million paid to Agassi and make more for themselves and, maybe, also more for Agassi. (I have not seen his conract.) With all the material published in SI,People, and in London and Germany, they may have already made a substantial profit. Add to that the books that have already arrived or will be arriving in bookstores in time for the official 11/9 release and -- voila!

Well, one of his siblings told Andre not to take any of the little white pills that his father was pushing on him...but again, I guess anyone who is REALLY interested in all this is gonna have to fork over the money and buy the book.

beth - I agree that the 'recovery' should have been at least mentioned in the excerpt. And the fact that the excerpt made it seem like he only used once. From what I understand , crystal meth is highly addictive, so what happened subsequently is interesting to say the least. Of course, the publishers, who also have no little stake in this whole situation, have the most say in any excerpts, and I guess they know a good tease when they see one.

beth, common sense, bravo! something our media driven insane world is sadly lacking these days..

Truth and lies ... How many of us have never told a lie? Not too many of us, I suspect. I have. Sometimes it has been to spare another's feelings but it is still a lie. Often it was to cover up the state of my parent's marriage and I and my brothers did this for years and were encouraged to do so by both our parents. Did that make us bad people? No, I don't think so as we didn't want our family to be hurt by cruel gossip.

Those are the lies that I have told. Otherwise I don't lie, but I
can't say that I have been utterly truthful. I take my hat of to anyone who has never, at any time in their life, told a lie.

"I'll leave consideration of the failed drug test, Agassi's letter, and the ATP's subsequent actions for another time"

Well is there anything else left really? The factors above are the only reason this even counts as a scandal.

Boris Becker on Agassigate:
http://tinyurl.com/yjsxerb

And Pat Cash:
http://tinyurl.com/y92copr

thanks, Tim!!
for once - we agree
it has been awhile since that happened :)
but yes, common sense is often lacking in the sensational media
common sense and quite often, the facts

CL - I was also very distressed by the abusive nature of Mike Agassi that was portrayed in these books. But Andre does mention that he spoke with Brooke Shields before he released any of this information about their relationship - so at least she was informed .
That was in the People magazine excerpt .

Mrs. Santa - about time you showed up. As you can see, knickers are seriously twisted.

Why we are taking about Rafa in this thread this is about AA?

"There's money, which the rich love. Then, there's fame, and competitiveness with other tennis biographies, wanting to distinguish himself, etc. I'm sure the motivations are complex, but it's hard to deny they're opportunistic."

Well, at least you acknowledge the existence of other types of greed, which is a more nuanced take on the situation than the knee-jerk cynicism I've encountered.

"I like what it says to the at risk students at his school. It says you can mess up. Mess up really really bad. And that its not the mistakes you make, but how they change you, and how you recover from them."

And this is quite possibly the worst lesson an at risk kid can learn. Drug related messes are a luxury. You need pretty hefty social capital for such "mistakes" to barely make a dent in your life.

I tend to agree with Pete. I've blogged about Agassi's revelations and emphasized the fact that Agassi deserves perspective. A disappointing revelation? Yes. But proper perspective and context do not allow for the labeling of Andre as a "cheater" of 'roid-using proportions.

I mean, didn't Chris Evert smoke pot? What about Nastase and Gerulaitis and their partying? And what about alcohol abuse on the tour? Rampant, at various juntures, and some would say even more troubling. None of these abuses is right, but let's keep various substances in perspective. And shame shame shame on Navratilova--if overwrought personal drama were a drug, she'd have garnered a life-suspension and never had time to play a single match.

I'd wager that catharsis and a desire for brutal honesty were Andre's motivations, here.

And, personally, I found the wig revelation to be far more disturbing.

And I am also still much more curious about what Andre's contemporaries have to say about him than anything that Fed or Rafa has to say.
~~~~~

CL - True. I'd love to hear what, say, Marcelo Rios has to say right about now. :)

I look forward to reading what Pete has to say about the lying part of the Andre equation, as the memory of his posts about Cañas and the other "Doping Argies" is still pretty fresh in my mind.

MrsS - Excellent point @ 9:41.

malimeda - thanks for the Becker link...its 'interesting' how he shrugs off his own sleeping pill use....

Also interesting about how if a player was cleared the name was never released so the charge of cover-up CAN be seen as a bit of stretch.

Amazing all the people on this board who "hate" liars and "can't deal with" liars. Does that include yourselves? Since there is not a human being born who hasn't lied about something. Does that determine the fullness of your character?

And did someone seriously ask where Andre's mother was during all the years of his dad's behavior? Someone needs to do some serious research before making comments. Sometimes learning to lie and cover things up are an outgrowth of not knowing how to deal with things at a young age.

sbilly - and Petr Korda who WAS tagged in a drug related scandal. And Canas, he of the Mexican cough syrup.

"I like what it says to the at risk students at his school. It says you can mess up. Mess up really really bad. And that its not the mistakes you make, but how they change you, and how you recover from them."

And if you need to lie to recover, go for it?!

Absolutely agree with Mrs Santa @9:41.

"I like what it says to the at risk students at his school. It says you can mess up. Mess up really really bad. And that its not the mistakes you make, but how they change you, and how you recover from them."

And if you need to lie to recover, go for it?!

Absolutely agree with Mrs Santa @9:41.

Mrs. Santa and Dangerfield, you are now making things up. You have read excerpts and are now letting your imaginations run wild. Why not wait to hear the whole story before you decide how much Andre has hurt all these 'at risk' kids? I'll wager he's helped more 'at risk' kids than either of you have. Sometimes people are helped more by the knowledge that someone has walked in their shoes and understands how they've ended up where they have, and can therefore show them compassion rather than just pure judgment. Most of the people who do most work with 'at risk' kids are people who have lived or at least experienced some of those 'risks', while people who have not often hold themselves away from the taint of the 'at risk' (they'll write a check, but won't get involved).

sblily I was going to mention Canas but I didn't know how to word it. At least he told the truth and said he was negligent. I wonder how he feels about it. I know he got caught for having a banned substance and people will say it is not the same thing.

Beth the thing that scared me was his father having a gun in his car and waving it around.

"if a player was cleared the name was never released"

Not entirely true: Greg Rusedski, former British No 1, comes to mind. His name was all over the papers as soon as he tested positive for anabolic steroid nandrolone while the ATP was still in charge of the procedure. He was subsequently cleared.

No such thing happened to Agassi, no papers knew of him testing positive until he confessed it now, although this was a lesser thing than anabolics.

Somebody decided to name and shame Greg and cover for Andre.

Sandra, I'm not making anything up, not denying Agassi helps kids, and despite my unwise sarcasm, not condemning Agassi.

Instead, I am saying that stories of redemption and recovery may help kids who need inspiration from their own low points. But recovery isn't guaranteed, which is what makes recovery stories dangerous too. And in Agassi's case, because he's such a rock star and survivor, the story has the risk of making the drug use glamorous.

Sandra - I lied when I was kid and yeah I do have a problem with him lying to his place of employment not to the public though. I know I am going overboard with this but that is me. I was taught to tell the truth and deal with the consequences. But yeah I will try and get over it.

MrsSanta and Sandra, word!

love it

i thnk Andre's interview with barbara walters or Diane Sawyer should be very interesting, no?

who is gonna land the big face to face, i wonder? 20 20? 60 Minutes? what about the book signings at Barnes and Noble? those could be interesting indeed...

Angel - Yeah, the PED/recreational drug distinction is an important one. Still, the difference in tone when speaking of (noble, courageous) Agassi vs the (shady, cheating) Argies jumped out at me immediately.

I don't know about no repercussions at this time. Legally, it seems likely. But the firestorm going on now is some kind of real repercussion I think, the future remains uncertain how he will come out of it (but certainly not as he went in with the almost saintly halo of recent times) and I don't doubt - if there's any doubt about money not being the factor - he's not going to be able to rake in the kind of endorsement deals in the future he has in the past, so there's a significant future dollar cost there too.
Presumably he thinks there are other gains, probably of the kind Pete refers to.

Tim -- IIRC, Andre is supposed to be on 60 Minutes this coming Sunday

Tim, Agassi is scheduled to come on 60 minutes..one day before his book is released.

Agassi will appear on 60 Minutes this coming Sunday. I thought this was old news.

" I'll wager he's helped more 'at risk' kids than either of you have. "

No need to gamble your 401K. I can pretty much guarantee he has. I fail to see the relevance to anything I said but yeah he has done much more for kids than me or 99.95% of humanity.

Katie Couric had better ask about the wig. That's the real tragedy in all this.

malimeda - I was just going by what your link said...the Becker piece. Although you are right, they also mentioned the what happened to Rusedski. I should have acknowledged that. sorry.

Dear Pete,
Just because many people (i am sure there are a lot who havent) have experienced what Andre has doesnt make it a "lesson" or "model behavior".
So far as Andre coming clean about it, in a democratic world, nobody can question Andre... like nobody can question anybody's opinion.
What actually is bothersome is the timing (of course even that is Andre's choice as an individual)... more than a decade after the incident and almost 3 years after retiring.
To see his smiling face always, the amount of love and respect he showed for audience/fans and excellent charity work, i now feel that something in all of it was fake.
It might be great if Andre himself says that he didnt have the courage to do it earlier...
Dear Pete everybody critisizing Andre shouldnt be the reason for you to highlight the positives/righteousness of this episode. Must say that some objective criticism of Andre's cheating is absolutely warranted for a balanced perspective (which i expect from your writing).

The whole cruel tennis dad angle notwithstanding, or maybe in spite of it, Agassi as a kid was something of an Artful Dodger character, IMO: he actually hustled himself as 9 y.o, it was not his father who made him do it.

"Besides the occasional exhibition with a top-ranked player, my public matches are mostly hustle jobs. I have a slick routine to lure in the suckers.

First, I pick a highly visible court, where I play by myself, knocking the ball all over the place. Second, when some cocky teenager or drunken casino guest strolls by, I invite him to play. Third, I let him beat me, soundly. Finally, in my most pitiful voice I ask if he’d like to play for a dollar. Maybe five? Before he knows what’s happening, I'm serving for the match and 20 bucks.

I don’t tell my father about my side business. Not that he’d think it was wrong. I just don’t feel like talking to my father about tennis any more than is absolutely necessary."

http://tinyurl.com/yfpsu6r

lol nah NP, the only old news I heard is about that clay court specialist from Spain...does he still play a little tennis now and then? :)

wonder what the parents of all the kids going to the andre agassi school in Vegas think of all this?

i mean, its something to consider, right? I would certainly think Agassi went through every bit of this fallout, and guaged that things would be OK, how does a book advance balance out potentially losing your reputation and charity work that helps thousands of kids?

Dunno, Tim. Sergei doesn't seem too active of late.

Agassi was ill-served by his public relations people. I think reactions have been even more passionate on all sides because all we have are some limited excerpts without the [very articulate] man himself giving interviews and providing some context to them. It’s too bad the interviews weren’t timed to coincide with the excerpts’ release. Anyway, water under the bridge now; I look forward to hearing what he has to say.

lol well I meant the guy who used to be NO. 1, what's his name?

please every bit of this is orchestrated down to the minute, u dont give a $4 million advance and not have every bit of PR strategized to the hilt..

To see his smiling face always, the amount of love and respect he showed for audience/fans and excellent charity work, i now feel that something in all of it was fake.

Why are those three things fake? I haven't read anything (in the small amount we have read so far) indicating any fakery about the fans. It's tennis that got him down apparently, not the fans. What's fake about his smile? How else would he appreciate the fans who support him? (He's got a great smile...) What's fake about the charity work. I don't have any sense any of those things are in question.

I think looking back a) he never seemed to enjoy playing b) his engagement with the fans as a positive was intensified probably by his mixed feelings about tennis c) If I recall when he retired in his speech and presser and since on what he'd miss - he always said the people, the fans and never tennis. Tealeaves were pretty clear looking back on that c) his philanthropy has been extraordinary - his time and his money both in large amounts. No athlete I think is close to him in these regards.

The lying of course is a mess and why he didn't come clean sooner - but I don't think that makes everything else a fraud.

Carlos Moya?

Annie, that was gonna be my answer. Good call.

Has anyone else here ever had a drug addiction or drug problem? The good part- recovery- happens only after its honestly identified and shared... And when 1 person shares their story, it has the amazing power to help others. There never seems like a "good" time, so rather than wait, "now" is always best. questioning his timing is really fueling the fear other addicts may have about coming clean about their own addictions-- that fear feeds the addiction, and left untreated and without an honest self appraisal, the addiction will destroy lives. This is not a Sweet, loving problem. It kills. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes quickly.

From the looks of Andre's life after the crystal meth period, he felt the need to give as much as he could back to tennis, back to his community, and back to fans and people in his life. If that change in him was a by-product of his drug use and subsequent lying to the public- then it's a problem he absolutely needed to become the man he has become.

Perhaps, Tim. You can't deny there's been a backlash against him. I still believe he might have generated more symphathy if we had heard from him by now. We'll see.

oh lord. spare me. the guy got high. pffft. you'd think he had taken an axe to someone's granny the way some people are going on in high moralizing tones.

I liked Pete's reasoning a lot.

Famous person has not lived perfect life. Film at 11.

I'm in the "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" and "remove the log from your own eye before you take the mote from your brother's" camp on this one. I have, in the past, taken recreational drugs for which I could have been arrested: I haven't for over 20 years (alcohol is drug of choice now), but "oh, scary, adult person took drugs" doesn't resonate with me.

I don't think Agassi needed the money. I also can't find it in my heart to condemn him for lying 12 years ago. Telling the truth would have been a much harder thing to do 12 years ago than it is now, and we've already seen how telling the truth now has created quite a stir. It would have been a very admirable thing to do in the abstract, butI'm always more surprised when people I admire for how they play a sport enjoy behave well than I am disappointed when they don't.

Crystal meth is such a horrible drug. Whatever his story, I’ll glad Agassi was able to escape its clutches. The poster “Faces of Meth”, which has before & after pictures of users, was a quick education for me. It’s very disturbing, so I won’t post the URL [if interested, just do an internet search].

Looking ahead, perhaps some good can come out of this mess if Agassi does some public service announcements, raises money, etc., for anti-meth causes. The cynic in me can see him doing this to redeem his image, but if it helps people to get off and/or avoid using, I’m okay with it.

jbrad: nice post, and good to 'see' you btw. does anyone know if andre was able to stop the meth on his own or did he seek outside help? I gather from what i've read so far, he used on and off for about 6 months but was never a full-blown addict. is that accurate?

someone posted earlier that they didn't think meth would classify as a PED, but i disagree. It's a powerful stimulant.

one last question: what do you think would have happened if this information had come to light a few years ago, before he was inducted into the hall of fame? would it have impacted his eligibility?

Annie what was the question regarding your Carlos Moya answer?

hello btw since I've been working f/t I haven't seen you much.

hi Angel! did you find a full time permanent job or still temping?

it was a reply to tim who was making an attempt at humor at rafa's expense. you didn't miss anything.

I will admit to looking forward to reading andre's book. i've preordered it.

It is difficult and I have been going back and forth with this thing. I am not that critical of Agassi as I am of Bodo.

Never been a big fan of Agassi’s early years; came to respect the mature Agassi from 1999 onward. The biggest issue I have is the perceived cover up by ATP. I say perceived because we do not have the full account from ATP yet. As for his recreational drug use, it could have been worse for him. Kicked the habit, well done him! As for the lie, people lie to get out of trouble all the time; he is no different. Having said that, he has every right to choose the platform and timing to come out with the truth now by putting out a book for $s. Bodo, people have the right to criticise the said book and the content and be cynical about it.

No one needs more troubled sports stars! If this book sets Agassi free, let it be.

Bodo, not everyone should write a tell all book to fix their problems with a demanding/felon of a parent. Apparently Peter Graf is still in Steffi’s life. Do you think the better way for Steffi to deal with embarrassing and painful things her father did in the past is to write a book and do publicity tour with it? Good advice! LOL

As for Nadal’s comment – He believes his friend, Richard Gasgquet’s explanation but not Agassi’s. Nadal should wait 12 year for Gasquet’s book then.

Here are some sobering articles:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/oct/31/andre-agassi-drugs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/6282996/Respect-our-sporting-heroes-who-suffer-in-the-pursuit-of-excellence.html

From above-
- I liked Pete's reasoning a lot.
- I'm in the "let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

As many of the posters have written, few here are condemning the drug use or lying 12 years ago. It's the confession that people are judging, which sees fair play to me.

I'm with Marat Safin, Agassi shouldn't have announced it to the public. Murray is more cautious than Nadal in his statement, but none of the current players can be pleased by this. Agassi cements his prodigal son image, while everyone else is left with the taint on the game.

Annie:

If you're thinking International Tennis Hall of Fame, Agassi is not eligible for it yet. He hasn't been retired the necessary five years.

He may be in the Nevada Hall of Fame, however. Doubt that he'll be tossed out.

I thought he was in the hall of fame in newport R.I. where he made a very long emotional speech? Or was that for when steffi was inducted?

"let he who is without sin cast the first stone"?

How about, 'don't shit where you eat?'
Except, Agassi doesn't 'eat there' anymore, he's retired from tennis. It's one thing to confess to your own sins, it's another to drag down the sport, the governing body that gave you a benefit of the doubt, and your fellow sportmen in your personal quest for redemption/greed/etc.

Incidentally, Andre Agassi's father was inducted into the Nevada Tennis Hall of Fame last year.

http://www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6622735

MSF: you are correct of course. andre has not been inducted yet. any thoughts that this might impact said induction in the future? And i'm talking about the lying and the fact that he probably competed under the influence of meth during that 6 month period.

From agassi's book. He's talking about the 2006 US Open:

*And then somehow I beat him, in five furious, agonising sets. Afterwards I’m barely able to stagger up the tunnel and into the locker room before my back gives out. Darren and Gil lift me onto the training table, while Baghdatis’s people hoist him onto the table beside me. He’s cramping badly. A trainer says the doctors are on the way. He turns on the TV above the table and everyone clears out, leaving just me and Baghdatis, both of us writhing and groaning in pain.*

And he goes on to describe his unexpected meeting with his father at his hotel in NYC, who tells him to quit.

I found this stuff fascinating. It told me far more about the demands of the sport than his use of the recreational drug crystal meth, which is not performance-enhancing. (that seems to have more to do with agassi's personal life and possibly his own physiological make-up that may, just may, include a propensity toward addiction--and that's nothing to sneer at). From what I know, and I haven't read the entire book, of course, I think it's courageous he spoke out about this.

As for the comment from Liron and sbilly about Federer's reaction (his use of the word disappointed was so condescending, they said): YAWN. TEDIOUS. And then being disingenuous about other people starting the so-called fedal wars after posting the comment that helped start it!! Please..It's clear from reading another blog that at least one of the two has a deep dislike of Federer.

I thought Federer's full remarks were reasonable and fair, and he praised Agassi as well at length. It IS disappointing to hear. Federer is president of the players' council; sports in general has a problem with doping; he must be politic in his response. He can't just let it hang out like Safin (who was not sympathetic to Agassi's revealing all of this now).

annie - still temping and it's ok.

BTW I don't have a problem with AA being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

susan: why are you saying crystal meth isn't performance enhancing? It's a major stimulant. agassi says himself that he cleaned his house like a whurling dervish after taking the drug for the first time.

Angel: me either. he's earned it for sure.