Mitchell Report

The Mitchell Report is the result of an investigation by former Senator George Mitchell into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. The findings were released on December 13, 2007.

The Mitchell Report was commissioned by Bud Selig to look into the extant to which performance-enhancing drugs were prevalent in baseball. Mitchell had no subpeona powers and therefore had to rely on the willingness of involved parties to cooperate.

Among the players named for possible use of performance enhancing drugs are Barry Bonds, Kevin Brown, Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Eric Gagne, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez, Paul Lo Duca, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Gary Sheffield, and Miguel Tejada. One should note that Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas were the only active players who agreed to talk to the investigators. [[1]] One of the main sources for the information contained in the report was former clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski.

Over 2 million people downloaded the report in the first couple of days it was online.

On April 11, 2008, every player named in the report was given amnesty as MLB put into place more frequent testing and gave more power to outside authorities, all of which had been recommended in the Report.

Further Reading

• Kirk Radomski and David Fisher: Bases Loaded: The Inside Story of the Steroid Era in Baseball by the Central Figure in the Mitchell Report, Hudson Street Press, New York, NY, 2009. ISBN 1594630569

Related Sites

• Full text of report
• List of players named in report