 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
|
 |
| Agassi pleads for drugs compassion |
|
|
|
Saturday, November 07, 2009
NEW YORK: Andre Agassi has pleaded for compassion from critics over his taking of crystal methamphetamine, saying he "needed help" to fight depression in 1997.
Agassi became emotional when interviewer Katie Couric read him the words of Martina Navratilova, who compared Agassi to Roger Clemens, a star baseball pitcher who has denied wrongdoing in spite of links to performance-enhancing drugs.
"It's what you don't want to hear," Agassi said. "I would hope with that would come some compassion that maybe this person doesn't need condemnation. Maybe this person could stand a little help.
"Because that was at a time in my life when I needed help. I had a problem, and there might be many other athletes out there that test positive for recreational drugs that have a problem. So I would ask for some compassion."
Agassi said he is uncertain how the revelations will impact how he is regarded or whether he belongs in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
"I don't know what the ramifications are," Agassi said. "I had way more to lose by telling this story in its full transparency than I had to gain.
"The price that that comes with is the cost that I've assumed and I'm OK because the part that I worry and think more about is who this may help."
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
