Andre Agassi's upcoming autobiography contains an admission that he used crystal meth in 1997 and lied to tennis authorities when he failed a drug test — a result that was thrown out after he said he "unwittingly" took the substance. Yes, "unwittingly"...again and again.
According to an excerpt, the eight-time Grand Slam champion discusses a letter written to the ATP tour to explain the positive test, saying he accidentally drank from a soda spiked with meth by his assistant "Slim." Hell yeah he's Slim, taking all that meth.
"Then I come to the central lie of the letter," Agassi writes. "I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it. The ATP reviewed the case — and threw it out." Suckers!
Agassi writes in his book that "Slim" was the person who introduced him to crystal meth, dumping a small pile of powder on the coffee table. "I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed. "There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful — and I've never felt such energy." And that, kids, is why you do drugs.
"I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds." Good parenting tip if you want your children to do their chores.
Agassi says he "was worried for a moment, but not for long," about how fans would react if they found out he used drugs. His greater concern as when he was almost caught and got the call from an ATP rep that he had failed a drug test.
"He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation. Performance-enhancing drugs...would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs." That would mean a three-month suspension. My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth." Sports hero or legend? Or both?
Sadly, there's not always a fair shake when it comes to drugs and tennis. In 2007, Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine after a third-round exit at Wimbledon. She denied using the drug but was banned for two years. But in July, Richard Gasquet was cleared to resume playing after a 2 1/2-month ban upon persuading the International Tennis Federation's tribunal panel that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub. The moral of the story is to lie and make up an implausible story rather than deny it.
According to an excerpt, the eight-time Grand Slam champion discusses a letter written to the ATP tour to explain the positive test, saying he accidentally drank from a soda spiked with meth by his assistant "Slim." Hell yeah he's Slim, taking all that meth."Then I come to the central lie of the letter," Agassi writes. "I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it. The ATP reviewed the case — and threw it out." Suckers!
Agassi writes in his book that "Slim" was the person who introduced him to crystal meth, dumping a small pile of powder on the coffee table. "I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed. "There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful — and I've never felt such energy." And that, kids, is why you do drugs.
"I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds." Good parenting tip if you want your children to do their chores.
Agassi says he "was worried for a moment, but not for long," about how fans would react if they found out he used drugs. His greater concern as when he was almost caught and got the call from an ATP rep that he had failed a drug test.
"He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation. Performance-enhancing drugs...would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs." That would mean a three-month suspension. My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth." Sports hero or legend? Or both?
Sadly, there's not always a fair shake when it comes to drugs and tennis. In 2007, Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine after a third-round exit at Wimbledon. She denied using the drug but was banned for two years. But in July, Richard Gasquet was cleared to resume playing after a 2 1/2-month ban upon persuading the International Tennis Federation's tribunal panel that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub. The moral of the story is to lie and make up an implausible story rather than deny it.
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