Navratilova: Agassi Should Have Fessed Up

Says She Wasn't Upset About His Revelation that He'd Taken Crystal Meth, Only That He Lied About It and Covered It Up

(CBS)  Andre Agassi's revelation in his new autobiography that he used crystal meth and lied about it has been met with lots of criticism.

Fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova compared Agassi to Roger Clemens, the former major league pitching great widely believed to have used steroids who vehemently denies it.

On the CBS News broadcast "60 Minutes" Sunday night, a visibly shaken Agassi addressed Navratilova's comment, telling "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, "It's what you don't wanna hear. But when somebody takes a performance inhibitor, a recreational drug…”

"Not at first as a performance enhancing drug?" Couric asked.

"The one thing that I would hope is not that there aren't rules that need to be followed, but along with that would come some compassion, that maybe this person doesn't need condemnation. Maybe this person could stand a little help. And 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 -- I would ask for some compassion."

Andre Agassi's Extraordinary Journey

On "The Early Show" Monday, Navratilova said her beef with Agassi's crystal meth use was that he'd lied about it and covered it up, until word of the content of "Open: An Autobiography" (which officially hits bookshelves Monday) came out.

"I am a compassionate person," she told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, "as I proved this morning when I rescued a tree-frog from my sink and released it into the wild.

" ... I was comparing Andre to Roger Clemens only because they both lied about having taken the drugs. I was never suggesting that Andre was taking performance-enhancing drugs, and that he was trying to cheat the game that way. I was upset that he lied about the fact that he took the drugs.

"Whether he takes crystal meth or not, could I care less about that.

"And, again, I don't think it should be against the rules. But it is. And when he got caught, I thought he should have owned up to it, just done his three months (suspension) and be done with it, and we would not be talking about it anymore.

Photo Essay: Andre Agassi

"So, I was not comparing Andre to Roger in that way at all, only that they both lied about it. And that was a misunderstanding because, to me, cheaters should be banned from the game, and should never be allowed to play again and that's why, I think, we were all so disappointed with Roger Clemens.

"With Andre, what he had done, I did not know that he was taking it for depression, that was not part of the information at the time. And I would never condemn him for doing that. It was the fact that he lied about it. He didn't own up to it and to me, he cheated the game in that respect."

Rodriguez also asked Navratilova about Agassi's revelation that he once purposely lost a match against Michael Chang.

"I never did (that -- threw a match). I could never do that. There have been other greats in the game that have tanked matches. I'm not gonna name anybody, but it has happened.

"Obviously, he was really down, you know. And, you're very exposed out there when you're on the court, and when you're going through stuff some your personal life, some shall people reacted better on the court and they sort of get away from it, and for some people, it's even worse.

"So, he tanked a match. Who lost in that? It's the fans who watched the match and of course, Andre Agassi. And Michael Chang probably said, 'Hey, you know, I want your best effort out there.' But sometimes, you just can't help it, and you self-destruct, one way or the other. Tanking is not something new, and Andre is a great champion, and I wish him all the best, absolutely."


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[houstonian1]

Let me say that I am by no means an advocate of recreational drugs. Never used them; never wanted to. But I sincerely hope the extremely judgmental Ms. Navratilova never has a misstep of her own in her life.

I would like to ask her why she is so extremely quick to make publicly damning statements about another before even understanding the issues completely (her own words). The little esteem I held her in before is completely eradicted by this inhumane and callous behavior. Shame on you, Martina! A weak attempt to rectify your public image with a not-quite-an-apology to Agassi by no means suffices.

[NancyT2u]

Not sure what gives Martina any credibility. I always wondered how she got so buff in the peak of her playing days. She sure had BIG muscles for a shemale. Was that all due to gym time or did she have a little help too? If she got a little help you can bet she isn't about to admit it. She has no business bustin' Andre's chops.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour

"I am a compassionate person," she told
que vous soyiez compatissante est une bonne chose,
monsieur agasii est un sportif de haut niveau que j'admire d'ailleurs, cela dit la question qui vient a l'esprit..est la suivante,prenait-il ('agassi) du crystal meth en connaissance de cause ou alors a son insu
là est le probléme..


The one thing that I would hope is not that there aren't rules that need to be followed, but along with that would come some compassion

"compassion"..n'est pas de mise dans ce cas de figure parceque si on n'arrete pas ce genre de pratiques, nos enfants (adolescents sportifs) paieront le prix..en continuant a prendre incognito ces saletés au revoir

[stlouisjack]

What bothers me is all this "confessing" is just to get your name in the news to help sell the damn book.

[mgu0616]

I love that Agassi does the meth but Navratilova is the bad character here. I'm an Agassi fan but he clearly disrespected the game by not telling the truth when caught originally. There is much that can be said about Navratilova but one thing that must always be said is that she respected the game.

[rfague]

I guess that means Martina must have been out of the closet her whole life, oh wait, she came out one day and admitted she was gay. Seems she knows how to keep a secret too.

I bet if Agassi had said he was gay instead of that he had used drugs at a low point in his life, then lied about it, taking him even lower, she wouldn't have said a thing.

So I guess when Martna's measured by her own yardstick, she doesn't measure up.

I thing both should be commended for showing their true selves but it seems Ms. Navratilova has more compassion for tree frogs than she does for human beings.

[mgu0616]

Being gay is not a punishable offence in professional tennis. It it were, then your argument would have a starting point. Since that isn't the case, shut up, think about it and try again.

[martinahater64]

MARTINA IS A MORON!!!!!!!!!!

How do you equate a guy like Clemens who used performance enhancing drugs and lied to congress under oath to a guy like Agassi who screwed up and used recreational drugs while under severe depression????

This guy could have carried his secret to his grave about his drugs and his hair and father, but he didn't. I give all the respect to this man who later in his career became the Derek Jeter of tennis with his work ethic and respect for people.

Martina acts like she is judge and jury of the tennis world. Hey Martina, your not the best of all time, Agassi's wife was. She won more majors than you and has class as well.

[mgu0616]

Margaret Court won two more than Steffi and had a little class as well. Listen to the interview and you'll hear that Navratilova makes your point about recreational drugs vs. performance enhancing drugs. Settle down and tell us your real issue with Navratilova.

[brianbwb-2009]

Many posters here today with a reading problem, who missed a very important statement from the tennis legend.

"...And, again, I don't think it should be against the rules. But it is...."

She is a very brave person to make that statement in a society that has been so programmed, so brainwashed to be anti "drug", that if someone could successfully label water a "drug", they would instantly hate it, and advocate the death penalty for its use.

A truly progressive thinker, and a brave person to say such a thing in America. Long live the Queen.

[sheebols]

brave? LMAO. she came off very defensive and bitter. she kept repeating the same argument. the interview should have been 1 minute long but i guess she wanted the spotlight. nothing brave about her interview and her stance on Agassi's drug use. actually, she comes off looking really bad.

[brianbwb-2009]

Many posters here today with a reading problem, who missed a very important statement from the tennis legend.

"...And, again, I don't think it should be against the rules. But it is...."

She is a very brave person to make that statement in a society that has been so programmed, so brainwashed to be anti "drug", that if someone could successfully label water a "drug", they would instantly hate it, and advocate the death penalty for its use.

A truly progressive thinker, and a brave person to say such a thing in America. Long live the Queen.

[Henri_Rochard]

I always thought Navratilova was hot. She sure the heck was a great tennis player.

[koyt2]

You must be a lesbo too

[galbraith45]

Martina Navratilova is a hermaphrodite thats a fact,it was basically cheating when she played tennis against real women.she has both sexes in her.far worse then agassi a man playing women thatS CHEATING!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mgu0616]

By fact I'll assume you mean verifiable by evidence. Please post links to this information so we can all see that you're not just a blathering idiot to consumed by latent homosexual desires to submit a sensible comment.

[tclark2570]

Martina is an absolute moron. what drug addict do you know that tells the truth. He did more for tennis than she could ever imagine. He went from rock bottom to the tippy top. And now she wants to comment that becuz he was an addict and was hooked on meth for the better part of a year he should have come clean. She has gone from finally being accepted by tennis fans to being hated again because of her big mouth. Andre is too adored by too many people and that interview last night was to his triumph. He could of rolled his eyes and told her to kiss his ass but instead he answered with emotion and truth and she's the one who looks like a *****! I love it!

[pickaguitar1]

+1 Martina Navratilova

[ekucrew]

I saw Martina Navratilova play Jennifer Capriati over 18 years ago in an exhibition for charity. Navratilova resembled a stevedore holding a tennis racket. She barely resembled the woman she was in the early 1980's.

As for her comments on Agassi, she should have kept her mouth shut on the subject.

[PaGuy1960]

How can you cmpare thaking Crystal Meth with Steroids. Show me how this would enhance performance. Martina is a moron.

[edgy44]

That's not what she said. She is saying do the time when you get caught doing the crime. Don't plead innocence, and then 20 years later admit you were a cheat. He didn't cheat anyone excpet the ticket holders, so who really cares.

[koyt2]

And, an ugly OLD moron

[PaGuy1960]

She compared it to Roger Clmens... She's an idiot

[koyt2]

Who cares what this lesbo thinks. Tell her to go back and lick on her girlfriend and keep her mouth shut!!

[mgu0616]

Yes, you're far more qualified to open your mouth about professional tennis. That's probably why this article is about you and not someone who knows nothing about the game like Navratilova.

[Huskerinmn]

...a cast of the first stone.