Wow. This story is too incredible to believe, but it’s entirely true. Sports Illustrated is reporting that Ron Washington, the manager of the Texas Rangers baseball team, tested positive for cocaine in July 2009 after the All-Star game). I know. It’s almost too inconceivable to believe. But it’s true. Even Ron Washington confirmed it:
“I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it,” Washington told SI.com by phone from Surprise, Ariz., on Tuesday night. “I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry.”
It turns out that he even went as far as to notify MLB of a possible positive test before the test came back. I think that was a great PR move. Stay ahead of the story. This type of story will turn into a media frenzy if the media is the first to discover the story. While the move to use cocaine was not smart, we can admit that it was respectable of him to own up to it before he got caught. Maybe this will be the new way athletes address such issues. But that’s a whole other story.
On a side note: The Rangers had extended his contract just a month earlier in June 2009. I’m not sure what is the bigger story: Ron Washington testing positive for cocaine or the Texas Rangers keeping him on as manager.
Well, if one thing is for sure, the Old School Brother may be a little more old school than we ever knew.