Robert Fick admits he used steroids, guesses baseball is 90 percent clean
Robert Fick, a one-time all-star with the Detroit Tigers who spent 10 seasons in the big leagues from 1998-2007, admitted on Thursday that he used steroids twice during his career. Fick told My Fox LA that he used steroids to help him recover from an injury rather than to boost his performance. He also said he thinks MLB’s drug testing program has helped clean up the game.
“I believe baseball’s really cleaned it up,” Fick told KTTV. “Back when all the testing started, I believe a lot of guys were on something to try to stay on the field and put up numbers. If I was to throw a number out there today, I might say the game is probably 90 percent cleaned up. They’ve done a really good job. The testing is strict.”
Fick admitted he tried steroids during his career.
“I’ve tried it, yeah. Two times. I never did it when I was in the offseason trying to lift weights, get stronger to hit home runs. I was a young player. I had three or four shoulder injuries and I was told it would help me get back on the field, stay on the field. I separated my shoulder in 2000 — they called it a third-degree separation — I got on some juice, and next thing you know, at 3-4 weeks I was back in the lineup.”
Fick tried to explain the psychology behind players using steroids.
Jered Weaver would accept gay teammate; Robert Fick would be uncomfortable
Former MLB All-Stars — and yes, we say that lightly — Robert Fick and Dmitri Young have a new video podcast. They debuted their show on Tuesday, which was before San Francisco 49ers CB Chris Culliver’s homophobic remarks were publicized. The Southern California natives were joined by brothers Jered and Jeff Weaver (also from SoCal) for the show.
Jeff, Robert, and Dmitri were all teammates on the atrocious ’02 Detroit Tigers, while Young and Fick were later teammates on the ’07 Washington Nationals. Naturally, there was a high level of comfort among the guys, so the show had a very conversational tone.
About 17 minutes into the program, Fick and Young began actually discussing real topics. The first one they brought up concerned gay teammates in light of Torii Hunter’s anti-gay remarks that were publicized last month.
Fick, who openly cussed and referenced marijuana multiple times throughout the program, said he would be “uncomfortable” with a gay teammate. The Weavers took a different view.
“I don’t want a gay baseball player in my clubhouse,” said Fick. “It would be uncomfortable.”
Jered Weaver expressed his support, saying if the teammate is producing, “bring ’em on.”
“If you’re hitting .300 with 40 and 140, bring ‘em on, you know? I think it would just be a shock at first, but it’s still your teammate in the long run,” said Weaver, as transcribed by Big League Stew. “They worked just as hard as us to get up to where we’re at.”
Fick reconsidered after Weaver made his point and said, “I’m sure I’d get over it.”
Jeff Weaver shared a similar opinion to his brother.
“Just let ’em be the way they are,” Jeff Weaver said. “As long as they can hit or pitch.”
Young cracked a homophobic joke before saying, “to me, people are people so it doesn’t bother me.”
They then moved onto the topic of PEDs in light of the Biogensis bust revealed on Tuesday.