Agassi comes clean in ‘Open’
Andre Agassi, in his new book, reveals that he used crystal meth and lied to tennis officials after flunking a drug test.
His meth use occurred in 1997 "during the period when his game and life fell apart," a source told Vegas Confidential.
"It's not a walk-in-the-park sports bio," said the source. "It's a nitty-gritty, jaw-dropping memoir."
The book comes out Nov. 9, timed around a Las Vegas book launch party and excerpts in Sports Illustrated and People, along with an appearance on "60 Minutes."
"It's anything but a run-of-the-mill book about an athlete. It's extremely personal ... not a sunshiney book. He holds nothing back," said the source, who has read the autobiography.
Paul Bogaards, director of media relations at Knopf Publishing, confirmed the excerpts "contain revelations about Andre's use of crystal meth when he was a tennis player."
The Times in London published several excerpts after the news broke Tuesday.
Had the positive drug test become public, "the repercussions for Agassi could have been catastrophic," wrote The Times.
The first time Agassi used meth was at home, The Times reported. He was sitting with his assistant, referred to only as "Slim."
"He says, you want to get high with me? On what? Gack. What the hell's gack? Crystal meth. Why do they call it gack? Because that's the sound you make when you're high. ... Make you feel like Superman, dude.
"As if they're coming out of someone else's mouth, I hear these words: You know what? (Expletive) it. Yeah. Let's get high.
"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed.
"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful -- and I've never felt such energy.
"I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds."
In the autumn of a year in which he pulled out of the French Open and did not bother to practice for Wimbledon, Agassi is walking through New York's LaGuardia airport when he gets a phone call from a doctor working with the ATP.
"There is doom in his voice, as if he's going to tell me I'm dying," Agassi writes. "And that's exactly what he tells me."
Agassi learns he has failed a drug test.
"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.
"I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth -- which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.
"I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it."
The ATP reviewed the case and threw it out, according to the book.
Agassi told People magazine that he was worried how his fans would react to the drug revelations.
"I was worried for a moment, but not for long."
The excerpts in People's upcoming issue delve into his hair loss, his rocky marriage with actress Brooke Shields and finding love with fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf.
Agassi, who lives in Las Vegas with Graf and their two children, received a reported $5 million advance from Knopf, believed to be a record for a sports figure's memoir.
Francisco Aguilar, legal counsel at Agassi Enterprises, said Tuesday there would be no comment from Agassi or from his company.
Aguilar referred all inquiries to Knopf Publishing.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Deal of the Day: Madame, the puppet creation and alter-ego of the late Wayland Flowers, returns to Las Vegas tonight with her one-woman show at The Stage Door Theatre at Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The 8 p.m. event benefits Aid for AIDS Nevada (AFAN). Admission: $20. Information: www.afanlv.org or call 702-914-9145. From 4:30 to 8 p.m., Brio Tuscan Grille at Town Square will donate 20 percent of the proceeds to AFAN.
SIGHTINGS
U2's Bono, having guacamole and chicken lettuce wraps at Super Mex in Green Valley (3460 E Sunset Road, at Pecos) a few hours before the band's concert Friday at Sam Boyd Stadium. ... IndyCar racer Tony Kanaan, shopping for a costume at the HalloweenMart on South Decatur on Monday. ... New mom and Grammy/Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, touring "Titanic: The Artifact Expedition" and "Bodies ... The Exhibition" (Luxor) on Sunday with her fiancé, David "Punk" Otunga.
THE PUNCH LINE
"You try steering one of those airplanes after eight or nine cocktails." -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Northwest Airlines Pilots Excuses
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
