When Houston Astros legend Jeff Bagwell's frustration over PED accusations reached boiling point

MLB legend Jeff Bagwell's stellar baseball career was marred by accusations of PED usage.

Since most of Bagwell's playing career coincided with "the steroid era," it was rumored that he too must have taken PEDs to boost his performance. Although some reports suggested that he used steroids, no proof was obtained and he was not among the 89 players named in the Mitchell Report in 2007.

In an interview with ESPN in 2010, Bagwell said the controversies of the previous years had taken some of the shine off his career. He also questioned whether he wanted to make it to the Hall of Fame, given that there were so many people who doubted his credentials.

"So much has gone on in the last eight or nine years, it's kind of taken some of the valor off it for me," Bagwell said. "If I ever do get to the Hall of Fame and there are 40 guys sitting behind me thinking, 'He took steroids,' then it's not even worth it to me. I don't know if that sounds stupid. But it's how I feel in a nutshell."

Bagwell was first eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. However, he secured only 41.7% of the vote. This increased to 56.0% in his second year. In 2016, in his sixth year of eligibility, he received 71.6%, which was still short of the 75% threshold. In 2017, in his seventh year of eligibility, Bagwell was finally voted into the Hall of Fame with 86.2% of the vote.

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Jeff Bagwell once opened up about his daily struggles with alcoholism

In October 2020, Bagwell opened up about his battle with alcoholism. As part of a recorded speech he delivered to students at the Archway Academy, a high school for ex-drug and alcohol abusers, he spoke about the dangers of alcohol abuse.

"Well, I am Jeff, and I am an alcoholic. I remember looking in the mirror in the morning, at 7 o’clock, and saying. ‘What are you doing, man? You’re killing yourself.’ And still could not stop, because for me to get through the day, I had to have drinks."

Bagwell has been sober since 2017.

It's interesting to note that he gave up drinking months after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.