Steroid shocker: Palmeiro suspended

Christopher Shays of Connecticut, the No. 2 Republican on the committee that investigated steroids in baseball, said in a telephone interview: “He ended up being the most outspoken against steroid use and even this guy is in a situation where he’s been suspended. It just blows me away. Obviously, it calls into question every accomplishment he’s had.”

It wasn’t clear whether Palmeiro’s test was taken before or after he spoke before the congressional panel. Anyone who lies under oath could be potentially subject to criminal perjury charges; Congress has the option of referring the case to the Justice Department, which would decide whether it’s worth pursuing.

The players’ association challenged the positive test in secret proceedings, and the penalty was held in abeyance until arbitrator Shyam Das decided Monday not to overturn it.

Palmeiro will lose $163,934 of his $3 million salary during the suspension. Because the penalty was delayed, it meant at least one member of baseball’s management-union medical panel initially found there was a “reasonable basis” for the challenge.

The arbitration panel headed by Das, in a statement released by the union, said Palmeiro could not prove the positive test “was not due to his fault or negligence.” It also concluded, however, that Palmeiro’s testimony was “quite compelling,” and it did not find reason to believe he was lying.

President Bush — who owned the Texas Rangers while Palmeiro played for the team — called Palmeiro a “friend” in a round-table interview with reporters from several Texas newspapers. “He’s testified in public, and I believe him,” Bush added.

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Palmeiro sounded contrite on the conference call, saying he hoped there was something to be gained from his suspension by educating players to be more careful about what they put in their bodies.

“I made a mistake and I’m facing it,” he said. “I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me.”

Union head Donald Fehr said the suspension “should serve to dispel doubts about our determination to rid baseball of illegal steroids, or the strength or effectiveness of our testing program.”

Baltimore manager Lee Mazzilli said his players were “a little disappointed” but wanted to support their teammate.

“The timing obviously is not good,” said Mazzilli, whose team has lost 12 of the last 13 games. “We’re going to have to make do right now. We’re going to have to band together as a team and fight through it.”

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