When Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones set standards of integrity by rejecting PEDs
Chipper Jones amassed eight All-Star titles and a world championship during his MLB career. He is considered a legend amongst the Atlanta Braves fans.
He debuted with the Braves in 1993 and played 19 seasons with the team, retiring in 2012. He was playing when the so-called 'steroid era' took place between 1994 and 2004.
During that time, many high-profile players took steroids to enhance their performances. In 2007, the Mitchell Report was published which entailed the names of all players that were taking performance enhancing drugs. Some of the most high-profile players were Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
Even so, Chipper Jones was active during an era when many players were taking PEDs. Jones didn't indulge in such activities and achieved success on his own without any drugs.
In a 2017 interview, Jones said that he was tempted to take PEDs but his integrity as a player stopped him:
“Yeah, I was tempted to use them, especially when your contemporaries are using them. I don’t think using steroids or PEDs to bounce back from injury ever factored in. It was to get bigger, stronger and faster. I had suspected at the time that guys playing my position, who were perennial All-Stars, Gold Glovers and MVP candidates [were using PEDs], and later on it was confirmed. Yeah, there was some pressure there.
"Ultimately, I wouldn’t have been able to look my Mom and Dad in the eye. It would have cheapened all those days I spent working on my game on those fields in Pierson. It would have killed them. That was a huge motivator in staying clean.”
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Chipper Jones was one of the players of the era that did not take PED but was still an exceptional player.
When Chipper Jones talked about the influence his father had on his playing
Chipper Jones entered the Little League at the tender age of seven because of his father's influence. His father was a coach and teacher at T. DeWitt Taylor High School.
In the same interview, he was asked about the influence his father had on his playing. Jones said that he was his first-ever coach who knew him better than anyone:
“He was my hitting coach. All of our hitting coaches we had in Atlanta knew that. It’s no disrespect to any of them. They were great people and instructors. But unless you’ve seen me from day one, there are certain things you might miss."
Chipper Jones connects for his 400th career HR. June 5, 2008’. https://t.co/wm8kFteUT7
The nickname Chipper was given to him by his father who thought that he was the chip off the old block.