After the 2002 season, which he spent in the minors, he became a free agent and signed briefly with the Oakland Athletics in 2003 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2004, but never made another appearance in the major leagues.

[2] On June 21, 2006, in an ESPN The Magazine article by Amy K. Nelson, Crawford, who by then was out of baseball, admitted to using the steroids Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol, human growth hormone and amphetamines from 1999 to 2001.

In the article, Paxton claims that other Red Sox players used and "openly encouraged him to use" drugs and even laughed "when he spilled needles in front of his locker".

[5] However, during the 2000 season, police investigated Red Sox infielder Manny Alexander after they discovered steroids and syringes during a search of his car during a traffic stop.

[4] In August 2004, Crawford was suspended for 15 days for violating the league's alcohol and drug abuse policy while playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.