Ex-Mets First Baseman Mike Jacobs First Suspended For HGH
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Mike Jacobs is the first player suspended by Major League Baseball for a positive HGH test.
The 30-year-old minor league first baseman and former major leaguer received a 50-game suspension Thursday for taking the banned performance-enhancing substance and was subsequently released by the Colorado Rockies.
Jacobs made a splash in New York by hitting 11 home runs for the Mets over 30 games in late 2005.
He was traded to the Florida Marlins before the 2006 season and returned for a brief stint with the Mets in 2010.
The Rockies released a statement expressing their disappointment in Jacobs and saying PEDs must be eradicated from the sport.
In a statement, Jacobs said he took human growth hormone to overcome knee and back ailments.
"A few weeks ago, in an attempt to overcome knee and back problems, I made the terrible decision to take HGH," Jacobs said in the statement released through his representative. "I immediately stopped a couple of days later after being tested. Taking it was one of the worst decisions I could have ever made, one for which I take full responsibility.
"I apologize to my family, friends, the Colorado Rockies organization, Major League Baseball and to the fans," Jacobs added. "Now, as required by the minor league drug program, I will serve a 50-game suspension. After my suspension is completed, I hope to have the opportunity to continue my career in the game that I love so much."
The Rockies said they fully support baseball's efforts to rid the sport of PEDs.
"We have routinely educated all of our players about the dangers of performance enhancing substances and strongly encourage all players to avoid their use," the club's statement said. "We strongly believe that baseball and all other sports must continue to directly address the issue of performance-enhancing substances. There is no place in baseball for such substances, and we have and will continue to do what we can to eliminate them from our game."
Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, praised baseball's hard stance on HGH at the minor league level.
"All those that value clean sport know that HGH testing is a necessary part of an effective anti-doping program; otherwise you give athletes a license to use this potent performance enhancing drug with impunity," Tygart said. "This case demonstrates how MLB has stepped up to the plate and implemented HGH testing in the minor leagues to protect clean athletes and the integrity of competition."
HGH testing is one of the items under negotiation between the NFL and the players union as the sides put the finishing touches on the 10-year labor accord they reached last month to end the nearly five-month lockout.
Jacobs has played six major league seasons, collecting 100 homers and 310 RBIs with a career .254 batting average with the Mets, Marlins and Royals.
He was leading the Rockies' Triple-A team in Colorado Springs with 23 homers and 97 RBIs while hitting .298 over 117 games with the Sky Sox.
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