Steve Howe Pleads Not Guilty; Yankees Standing Behind Him

New York Yankee pitcher Steve Howe, suspended from baseball five times because of involvement with drugs and alcohol, pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal misdemeanor charge of possessing cocaine.

Howe’s trial is set for Jan. 30. He was released on his own recognizance. However, the pitcher was ordered to stay in the area and to submit to weekly urine tests for cocaine use. If convicted, Howe faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. According to the complaint, Howe gave a Drug Enforcement Agency informant $100 to purchase one gram of cocaine Thursday. He was arrested after receiving the drug.

“We . . . know that Steve has pleaded innocent, and the Yankees stand behind him,” Yankee General Manager Gene Michael said. “Our support goes out to Steve and his family. He did a superb job for us in 1991 with his comeback.”

The Yankees are planning to conduct urine tests on Howe and notify federal authorities of any positive results for cocaine. Leonard Kleinman, Yankees’ chief operating officer, said he did not believe Howe would face another ban. “We really feel that possibility is very, very remote,” Kleinman said.

Howe declined to speak with reporters as he left the courtroom.

Howe, who friends say conducts a Bible study group in his home every other Wednesday, commented on his problems with cocaine in September, when Otis Nixon was suspended from the Atlanta Braves for testing positive for cocaine: “I feel sorry for him, badly for him and his family. But I can tell you this: The more you fall, the harder it is to get up. The drug is just stronger than you, me, anything out there. The natural thing is to say you don’t need help. Well, you do. You need to humble yourself.”