Elusive Mark McGwire breaks his silence when he agreed to do an interview with the New York Times provided that he will talk about his new career of being a hitting tutor to Major League Players. He would not entertain any question about the controversy sparked by former teammate Jose Canseco when he mentioned McGwire to have used performance enhancing drugs in his book.

McGwire rarely appeared in public ever since he retired from professional baseball. Even more so when he appeared before a Congressional hearing for his alleged involvement with steroids.

From ESPN.com:

The Times said McGwire agreed to the interview “with the understanding that it would focus on his work as a hitting tutor, and not on other issues.”

McGwire did briefly address criticism he has received for being linked to performance-enhancing drugs. “I’m such an easygoing guy,” he said, according to the Times. “I don’t need to sweep away any bitterness.”

McGwire took himself out of the public eye after he retired in 2001 with 583 career home runs. That withdrawal became nearly total in 2005, after McGwire – implicated in former teammate Jose Canseco’s book as a steroid user — infamously declined to answer questions from congressmen about whether he used steroids, repeatedly saying, “I’m not here to talk about the past.”

McGwire said he had always been interested in coaching and almost had a shot at it when he was supposed to go to the spring training in 2008 in lieu of Tony La Russa, his former manager. Unfortunately a family situation had prevented him from going. McGwire is currently the hitting instructor for Major League players Holliday and Crosby from the Oakland As and Duncan and Schumaker from the St. Louis Cardinals. They were worried that issue of McGwire being linked with steroids could affect their reputation in the MLB.

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