28 Apr 1996: Pitcher Dwight Gooden of the New York Yankees looks on during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. The Yankees won the game, 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/Allsport

Two days after Darryl Strawberry and others went public announcing to the world that former MLB pitcher Dwight Gooden was once again battling drug abuse, the New York Yankees have now lent their support to Gooden.

Strawberry confirmed to the New York Daily News that the team has offered to pay for Gooden to go to rehab. A Yankees spokesperson confirmed the team offered to pay for the rehab stint but would not make any further comment.

In the story, we also found out that the Yankees reached out to Gooden’s former drug counselor, Ron Dock. He agreed with Strawberry and said Gooden is once again dealing with a drug issue.

“Darryl absolutely did the right thing by going public,” Dock said. “We’ve tried to help him privately. I asked him again at his mother’s funeral service (in July) to let me help him. But he’s in denial and now Dwight is angry because the disease is angry.

“It’s not Dwight lashing out, it’s the disease. Darryl has been there, I’ve been there. I was an addict who lived on the street for three years before I finally got help and turned my life around. Sometimes it takes something like this.

“I believe this is a watershed moment for Dwight. He can’t hide anymore, he can’t smokescreen because everybody knows. He’s getting ready to hit bottom now. His (paid) appearances are going to go away. I’m sure his drug dealer is running for the hills now, because of all the publicity.

“When Dwight finally gets into recovery, he’s going to come out of it and make two phone calls to say thank you: one to Janice (Roots, his ex-girlfriend whose letter to Gooden ran in The News) and one to Darryl. He’s going to thank them for saving his life.”

But there is one person close to the situation who disagrees with Strawberry’s tactics. It’s Ray Nagron, a long-time consultant for the Yankees and a confidant for Gooden.

“I’m not a counselor but I’ve been part of the Smithers (Rehab Center) Foundation for years,” said Negron, “and in these situations anonymity has always been the magic word.

“You don’t do it in a public forum because all the guy is going to do is deny, deny, deny. In this case, if Doc is doing drugs, and I say if because I don’t know, he’s going to deny it all the more because he’s embarrassed by the headlines.

“Remember, he has seven kids who depend on him and he’s caring for a handicapped brother since his mom died. You may be cornering him but you’re also putting innocent lives in a bad position. No one ever took the time to think about that.”

The recent spotlight being put on Gooden dates back to July, when the 30 for 30 “Doc and Darryl” was released. Since the film, which chronicles the two players careers and battles with drug addiction, was released, the former teammates have made a number of media appearances promoting the movie. Gooden missed a recent radio appearance, causing Strawberry to openly express concern on the air about the former pitcher.

Days later, Strawberry went to the Daily News and openly said that Gooden was a “complete junkie-addict.” Since Gooden missed his radio appearance, he has come out publicly twice and dismissed the claim of Strawberry and others.

This story has continued to grow at a fast pace during the past few days. However, it still seems unclear whether Gooden will get the help that others believe he needs.

[New York Daily News]

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.