As most everybody has surely heard by now Andre Agassi, in excerpts from his soon to be released autobiography, admitted to using the drug crystal meth on many occasions in 1997 during a particularly troubling chapter in a career that had an unorthodox and discordant trajectory, yet which was ultimately fulfilling and glorious.

In addition to his use of the recreational drug, the now 39 year old revealed that he also lied about his frequent use of the substance after he failed a mandatory drug test. Agassi's excuse that he mistakenly drank from his assistant's soda which had been laced with the drug was accepted by the ATP and a career threatening - let alone personally demoralizing - punishment was avoided.

These disclosures have drawn a predictably wide range of comment, varying from those who say that the pensive Agassi is imbued with a thoughtful and reflective soul and it was brave of him to admit the use of illegal drugs to others who believe it is a too-late confession by an admitted drug user and documented liar and that it diminishes the Hall of Famer's legacy.

Among the more strongly worded assessments of this wholly unexpected and stunning revelation was delivered by Martina Navratilova. The always outspoken Martina, who most conclude is the greatest woman player of all time, stated that it was " ... shocking. Not as much shock that he did it as shock he lied about it and didn't own up to it. He's up there with Roger Clemens, as far as I'm concerned. He owned up to it [in the book], but it doesn't help now ... Andre lied and got away with it. You can't correct that now. Do you take away a title he wouldn't have won if he had been suspended? He beat some people when he should have been suspended."

The usually perceptive and sharp Martina is misguided in her comments and gave a far too impulsive and simply wrong reading of the facts in this matter.

First of all, whatever one thinks about Agassi's use of the drug on a moral basis, this much is clear - crystal meth is not a performance enhancing drug (PED) and his tennis was at best unaffected but was most likely hurt significantly from his use of the drug. This is the most important point of all as it highlights the unwillingness for critics to separate the use of recreational drugs versus PED's.

Additionally, 1997 was a dreadful year in peaks-and-valleys career of Agassi. He won only one event, a satellite tournament in November of 1997 (satellite tourneys are tennis' equivalent of the minor leagues) and finished the year ranked an abysmal 110th.

Furthermore, Navratilova's linking Agassi's deceit regarding his ingesting of crystal meth with Roger Clemens' apparent lying about steroid use is downright egregious. Agassi, if taken at his word, was battling inner demons and decided to stupidly suppress his pain with a dangerous recreational drug. He did not use the narcotic to illegally gain an advantage over other players which is the cardinal sin in sports.

Roger Clemens, if the accusations leveled against the hard throwing right hander are indeed true, did in fact inject PED's and repeatedly lied about said use. In all likelihood he did this to regain and sustain his brilliant form which had been slipping away in his mid-30's. There is absolutely no similarity between Agassi and Clemens - except for lying. And then we're talking about relative degrees aren't we? Clemens' lies are far more hurtful as it cheated fans, players and the institution of our national pastime. Agassi only foolishly risked his health and well being.

Martina should have known better and not rush to such immediate conclusions about the charismatic Las Vegas native. After all, she has come under so much unwanted and unfair scrutiny for her personal decisions and actions during her most decidedly fascinating life.

Almost as disappointing as Martina's comments were the few words spoken by world ranked number two Rafael Nadal on the matter. The beloved Mallorcan - and I count myself as one of his biggest admirers in the tennis commentary universe - said, "To me it seems terrible. Why is he saying this now that he has retired? It's a way of damaging the sport that makes no sense. I believe our sport is clean and I am the first one that wants that. Cheaters must be punished and if Agassi was a cheater during his career he should have been punished."

Nadal's utterances of "cheating" are too literal minded. Cheating implies that Agassi was using the drug to achieve the upper hand in the arena of competition. He wasn't.

What's even more curious is how quick Nadal was to criticize Agassi. After all, Nadal came to the immediate, definitive and justified defense of his friend Richard Gasquet after the Frenchman tested positive for cocaine earlier this year.

Just as the government is finally - and correctly - choosing not to prosecute distributors and users of medical marijuana in this country and instead refocusing their efforts on other criminal areas, the sports world would be well advised to not test for recreational drugs and instead keep the focus on the true threats to sport - PED's and illegal gambling.