NBC Nightly News took an uncharacteristically personal turn tonight, as anchor Brian Williams opened the broadcast with the news that Mark McGwire admitted past steroid use today in a letter to his former team. Inside, video of Williams' surprising statement.

Williams' quote in full:

Good evening. Because this is a family broadcast, we probably can't say what we'd like to about the news today that Mark McGwire—the home run hitter, the family favorite from the St. Louis Cardinals—stopped lying today and admitted that he did it while on steroids. For those of us who were raising young baseball fans and baseball players who looked up to Mark McGwire, that summer of ‘98 was magical stuff, as he and Sammy Sosa vied back and forth for the title of Single Season Home Run King. He didn't tell the truth to Congress or to his fans until finally, formally coming clean today. He's been unable to get into the Hall of Fame and, apparently—even for him—the shame here was too much.

[NBC Nightly News]