CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Ken Griffey Jr.'s habit of arriving late and skipping pregame practice caused divisiveness in the Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse, former coach Ron Oester said.

Oester, now minor league infield instructor with the Philadelphia Phillies, joined former Reds players Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young in citing Griffey's special treatment as a factor in the Reds' decline the last two years.

"Junior's not a bad guy," Oester told The Cincinnati Enquirer for a story published Wednesday. "He just needs a little discipline. He wants discipline. His weakness is being a teammate.

"When you've got a team and you do everything together and you have one or two guys who don't ... you have problems."

Oester was one of two coaches fired by manager Bob Boone after last season. He's the third former Red to criticize Griffey's special treatment this spring.

Reese, now with Pittsburgh, and Young, now with Detroit, said after they reported to their new teams that the Reds lost their chemistry after Griffey arrived from Seattle in 2000.

The Reds won 96 games and lost a wild-card playoff to the Mets in 1999, when Greg Vaughn was the team leader. Vaughn left as a free agent after the season and was replaced by Griffey, who shied away from leadership, complained about media attention and got preferential treatment.

The Reds lost 96 games last season, when Griffey and shortstop Barry Larkin were hurt.

Oester noted that Griffey would take batting practice last season, then get treatment for his hamstring instead of shagging fly balls in the outfield, as his teammates were required to do.

He also criticized Larkin for resisting a move to second base so Reese could play shortstop. He said Boone -- who got the job instead of Oester -- needed to be more assertive in dealing with his star players.

"At some point, they have to address it," Oester said. "I don't know why they can't see it. It's like everyone's got blinders on. You need to clean house. Until you clean house, it isn't going to get any better. I'm not talking about one or two people; I'm talking about six or seven people. They need a big broom."

Larkin, the team captain, declined to respond to Oester's remarks.

The Reds' spring has been overshadowed by controversies involving the Griffeys. In addition to the criticism by former Reds, Ken Griffey Sr. abruptly resigned as a coach last week, saying he was "tired of being treated like dirt."