Major League Baseball star shortstop Miguel Tejada of the Dominican Republic has pleaded guilty to lying to the U.S. Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
The American League's Most Valuable Player when he played for Oakland in 2002, Tejada could face up to one year in jail. However, federal guidelines call for a much lighter sentence.
Tejada's plea came four years after he denied knowing anyone in baseball who used performance-enhancing drugs. His 2005 statement was later shown to be false when evidence emerged that he had talked to a teammate about steroid use. Tejada also later purchased what he believed to be human growth hormone from the same teammate.
Tejada - who now plays for the Houston Astros - is the latest in a string of players to admit steroid or performance-enhancing drug use. New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted this week that he used steroids when he played for Texas. Rodriguez does not face any charges. Federal authorities also are investigating whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone.
Some information for this report was provided by AP
