LaRussa says Canseco laughed off suspicion

JUPITER, Fla., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Manager Tony LaRussa says he confronted Jose Canseco about possible steroid use when both were in Oakland but his star player laughed it off.

LaRussa, now manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, said he "did everything I should do as a manager," but he had no proof of steroid use or a clear route to get any, the St. Louis Post Dispatch said.

Canseco, who called himself "the godfather of steroids" in his new book "Juiced," told "60 Minutes" trainers, coaches and owners didn't just suspect, they knew.

He alleges he taught other players -- including former Cardinals and Athletics slugger Mark McGwire -- how to use the drug. La Russa actively has rebutted Canseco's accusations, particularly when it comes to McGwire and the Oakland team of the late 1980s and early '90s.

"This is a real high-profile situation -- because it's illegal, because it has some serious health effects -- but it could have been handled within the baseball family," La Russa said.