In TV interview Mandarich admits steroid use

[October 01, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Former NFL draft bust Tony Mandarich says he used steroids at Michigan State and faked a drug test before the 1988 Rose Bowl.

He also said during an interview on "Inside the NFL" that will air Wednesday on Showtime that he did not use steroids in the NFL but was addicted to alcohol and painkillers.

Mandarich, whose autobiography will be released in March, said he provided a fake urine sample to evade detection before the '88 Rose Bowl in which Michigan State beat Southern California 20-17. Mandarich said he couldn't confirm a report that other players did the same.

The offensive lineman was the No. 2 overall pick in 1989 by the Packers. He lasted just three years with Green Bay amid rumors of steroid use.

"I got to the point where it was a struggle to work out three or four times a week because the priority of getting high was above the priority of working out," Mandarich said in the interview.

[Associated Press]

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