Some current and former members of the Mariners are disputing the claim of former Seattle outfielder Shane Monahan that the clubhouse culture led him to use steroids and amphetamines with the hopes of lengthening his major league career.
Monahan openly admitted to ESPN.com that he used performance-enhancing drugs. His claims didn't sit well with current Mariner Raul Ibanez and longtime Seattle pitcher Jamie Moyer, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007.
"It's amazing to me that a guy like Shane -- a guy who was up and down at best and had a very limited cup of coffee with us -- would be able to know what was going on," Ibanez told The Seattle Times. "I was up and down like he was. I was in that same boat that he was in, and everyone makes their choice."
Ibanez told the paper that his workout regimen, not steroids, have helped him remain a major league player.
"In 10 years, I've never seen a person take a steroid," Ibanez told the Seattle Times. "I've never had anyone come to me in a major-league clubhouse and offer me any."
Moyer echoed Ibanez's statements.
"I choose not to get involved with all of that stuff," Moyer told the paper. "We're all grown men of many different ages. If he's throwing people under the bus, that's his choice, but it disappoints me."
The veteran pitcher disputed Monahan's recollections directly.
"I can tell you that I was there for 10 years and I never saw anyone take steroids," Moyer said, according to the paper.
"This will be my 20th year in the major leagues, and I don't even know what a steroid looks like. If I have to start relying on those things, after so many years in the game, then it's time to pack it in. That's the way I look at things."
Mariners president Chuck Armstrong told the paper that the team was unaware of the validity of any of Monahan's allegations.
"We're surprised and disappointed," Armstrong said. "As I've said all along, we fully support the commissioner's initiatives. There is now testing for amphetamines, and access to the clubhouse has been tightened a great deal since those days."
Ken Griffey Jr., the face of the Mariners franchise during his 11-season tenure in Seattle, declined comment through his agent.
"Junior already reacted to the Mitchell report when it came out, and Kenny's just never been a part of that culture anyway," his agent Brian Goldberg told the paper.
Monahan was never mentioned in the Mitchell report on steroid use in baseball. He did talk to ESPN.com about his motivation for speaking up.
"I'm not a superstar. Nobody remembers who I am. But you know what? I don't want kids from college or kids from high school going through what I had to go through," Monahan told ESPN.com's Mike Fish. "I certainly don't want my son, 20 years from now, having to be faced with that decision so he could play professional sports."
The paper also reported that several Mariners players who were named in the Mitchell report did play in Seattle during Monahan's brief stay in the majors, including Ryan Franklin, Glenallen Hill, David Segui and Todd Williams.