Danica Patrick told USA Today that she realizes the dangers and unfair advantages of PED use, and she wishes that she had not joked about the matter.

IndyCar driver Danica Patrick has recently come under fire for telling a Sports Illustrated columnist that she would use performance-enhancing substances if she were guaranteed not to get caught. Patrick, 27, now claims that her statement was intended to be a joke, and that her interviews with SI writer Dan Patrick are usually light and humorous in tone. Danica Patrick told USA Today that she realizes the dangers and unfair advantages of PED use, and she wishes that she had not joked about the matter.

Performance-enhancing drug use “is a real problem,” Patrick, who is one of the most popular female athletes in the world right now, has been quoted as saying in her USA Today interview. “It’s a shame kids think they have to do this to get ahead.”

Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), has been one of the most public critics of Patrick’s joking comments, and says that while he appreciates the star’s public apology, he’s still frustrated with the message that has already been sent to adolescents across America. In

"In one interview, she undercut what millions of parents try their best to teach their kids everyday in this country, that winners never cheat and cheaters never win,"

Tygart said in USA Today.