Mar 18 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Ron Washington, the manager of the Texas Rangers admitted that he made a big mistake last season when he used cocaine and failed a drug test. Yesterday was his first public announcement since he had told Nolan Ryan, which occurred eight months ago.

Ryan said that Washington had came forward an offered to resign, and Ryan refused to accept the resignation. “He understood the consequences. We had a lot of discussions and a lot of soul-searching on it.”

“I made a huge mistake and it almost caused me to lose everything I have worked for all of my life,” Washington said at a news conference yesterday. “I am not here to make excuses. There are none.” The video of his apology can be seen embedded below.

Before the random drug testing that exposed the story, there were no signs at all that Washington had used cocaine. He claims that he only tried it once, and that it was a “stupid” and “shameful” mistake. “I made a grave mistake,” said Washington, who offered his resignation last July. “I brought shame to my family. I hurt a lot of people. I hurt myself. If I could take it back, I would.”

Washington apparently called the commissioner’s office and the team manager and let them know that he may not pass the test, and why-before the test results were in. It was then that he offered the apology and offered his resignation. The team’s general manager, Jon Daniels said on Tuesday night, “Despite the disappointment, we felt that supporting Ron was the right thing to do. We asked a lot of questions and worked through Major League Baseball’s program, where Ron had appropriate consultation, support and testing. But for all the reasons we hired him in the first place, we felt and continued to feel that he’s the right guy to lead the club. He made a significant mistake. He also admitted to it and took steps to ensure that it won’t happen again.”