Doc Gooden on missing appearances with Darryl Strawberry: ‘Nothing to do with drugs’

Dwight “Doc” Gooden said Monday that his life is not in danger because of drugs, despite the recent claims of his former New York Mets and Yankees teammate Darryl Strawberry.

“I am healthy,” Gooden said on “The Joe Piscopo Show” on WNYM-AM. “I do have a drug problem. I’ve been an addict most my life. I am an addict.

“I don’t hide from anything. Anything I’m doing wrong, I’ll be the first to tell you.”

Gooden said he missed scheduled public appearances with Strawberry on Thursday and Saturday because “some things happened.”

“It definitely had nothing to do with drugs,” Gooden said. “I’m fine.”

Gooden also expressed displeasure with Strawberry for making public comments that implied otherwise.

“The Darryl thing hurt me a lot,” Gooden said. “I reestablished a relationship with him. I gave him a lot of stuff. I never went to the press. I never said anything [negative] about him. I need to make better choices in picking friends.”

Over the weekend, Strawberry contacted the New York Daily News over the weekend to stage what amounts to a public intervention for Gooden.

“He’s a complete junkie-addict,” Strawberry said. “I’ve been trying behind the scenes to talk to him and get him to go for help, but he won’t listen. He thinks he can manipulate and BS his way through everything. His son called me to beg me to help his dad before he dies.

“The condition Doc is in, it’s bad, it’s horrible. It’s like cocaine poison. I feel like I’ve got to get it out there because nobody else is doing anything to help him, and it might be the only way to stop him.”

Strawberry, who is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, voiced some concern about his former New York Mets and Yankees teammate in response to a fan’s question about Gooden at Thursday’s event.

“I’m worried. A lot,” Strawberry said. “It’s a real struggle. It’s very difficult to talk about because I know the drill, I know the deal.”

On Saturday, Gooden, 51, said in a text to the Daily News: “I am fine, just finishing up some minor health issues.”

He didn’t elaborate on his condition. When told fans were concerned about Strawberry’s comments, Gooden texted: “Yes, I see. Unreal.”

That exchange prompted Strawberry to call the Daily News late Saturday night and again Sunday morning to voice further concern and provide contact information for three close associates of Gooden’s who are also worried about his welfare.

“I have to try something before he’s dead,” Strawberry said.

One of the associates, a man who remained anonymous, told the Dailiy News that he was in Gooden’s apartment before the scheduled appearance when the four-time All Star locked himself in his bedroom and wouldn’t come out.

“It’s not the first time this has happened,” the person told the newspaper. “We all love him but we’ve all been enablers to addict behavior. It has to stop.”

Another source provided by Strawberry was Janice Roots, who told the Daily News she had a live-in relationship with Gooden for four years before his cocaine use drove her away earlier this year.

“It breaks my heart because Dwight is a loving, compassionate man who took care of me when I had health problems,” Roots said by phone on Sunday, according to the newspaper report. “But then he morphed into a cocaine monster.

“I don’t even know if he realizes what he’s doing. He turns into a different person. He’s a great guy who takes care of his family members, but being around him, there were times when it was just a very toxic, dangerous environment.

“I felt helpless to do anything. I finally left because to sit there and watch somebody kill himself was devastating.”

On Sunday night, Dwight Gooden Jr. released a statement thanking Strawberry, Roots and others for their concern.

“His problems have been well documented and publicized through the years,” he said. “At this time, our only concern is his health and that he takes care of himself.“

He added: “We, as a family, are currently planning his best course of action and thank you all for your concern, messages and prayers.”

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UPDATES:

10:30 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from Dwight Gooden and a statement from his son, Dwight Gooden Jr.

This article was originally published at 8:20 a.m.