Can Barry Bonds be Honest?

Barry Bonds holds the record for the most home runs in a season, the most home runs in a career, and the most MVP awards in a career (7).  But the baseball community remains divided over the credibility of Bonds' accomplishments due to the assumption that he used performance enhancing drugs during the latter years of his career. (Good summary by SI here.)  So I was interested to read an article yesterday that there's every possibility that the Giants will find a role for Bonds within their organisation.

The slugger said he met recently with Giants president and CEO Larry Baer about working for the club in some capacity, and Bonds has a personal services contract the Giants have said could go into effect once his legal proceedings were in the past.
Giants general manager Brian Sabean told the San Francisco Chronicle that Bonds would be welcomed back.
"The invite's open-ended. It's not a matter of if but when," Sabean told the newspaper. "He's got a personal services contract."

This series of events reminds me of Mark McGwire. He was hired by St. Louis as their batting coach in 2010.  This was certainly a controversial hire given the widely held belief that he had used steroids during his playing years. Soon after he was hired he gave this lengthy confession and apology.  Here's an excerpt,

I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season.

I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.

It was a long time coming, but I respect him immensely for making this statement before taking his coaching position.   

No more rumors. 
No more innuendo.
No more suspicions.
No more maybe's.
Just honesty, openness, vulnerability and a chance at redemption.

Barry Bonds, please take note!