Dwight Gooden's Son Expresses Concern For His Father's Well-Being

(CBS) The son of former Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden has expressed concern for his father's well-being.

Gooden has battled drug addiction since his playing days and last week no-showed for an interview he was supposed to do with former teammate Darryl Strawberry, who then admitted he feared Gooden was headed on a downward spiral. That's not quite the situation, but Gooden is going through more personal struggles after a family death, Dwight Gooden Jr. said in a statement.

"On behalf of myself and my brothers and sisters we would like to thank Darryl (Strawberry), Janice (Roots), members of the media, friends and most of all, the fans for their concern for our father's health," Gooden Jr. said. "His problems have been well documented and publicized through the years. At this time our only concern is his health and that he takes care of himself. There has not been a single day that our love for him or his love for us has ever wavered. One thing that has always been constant has been our father's determination to provide for us regardless of what was going on in his life. He has always provided for us and has always been there for us.

"This has been a very hard year for our entire family. With our grandmother's diminishing health and her passing last month, the stress and sadness that this brought us has been unthinkable," Gooden Jr. added. "She was the leader of our family and things will never be the same without her. Between this and our father's work schedule he has been under an extraordinary amount of stress, pressure and above all sadness. He has been planning on taking a break from the spotlight to rest and regroup and address his health. We will be pushing this respite up. We, as a family, are currently planning his best course of action and thank you all for your concern, messages and prayers."