Back in 1998--years before the BALCO, Biogenesis, and every other performance-enhancing drug scandal--John Gotti knew exactly what it took to excel as a professional athlete.

During a visit with family members, the Gambino crime family boss--then an inmate at the federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois--became irritated after his grandson John got mouthy when discussion turned to the boy’s future.

Rejecting his mother Victoria’s claim that “he is going to become a lawyer,” the child announced that he planned on becoming a basketball or baseball player. As seen in the below surveillance video, Gotti, separated from his kin by a plexiglass divider and talking on a phone, was not happy with the 10-year-old’s declaration.

“You ain’t gonna be a baseball player or a basketball player,” Grandpa Gotti declared. The serial killer then detailed the supposed requirements for being a pro athlete.

“First of all, you got to be a good liar, a good lowlife, and an imbecile,” the hoodlum noted. After Victoria chimed in, “Take a lot of drugs,” Gotti continued, “You gotta take steroids. You must take steroids! And anybody that takes steroids is a garbage pail.”

The chastened child then shot back, “Fine, then I’ll be a crook.” Which did not please Gotti, who warned the boy that such “spiteful” backtalk could result in an ass kicking that young John would never forget. As the boy pouted, Gotti said, “You can look as sad as you wanna look. Now give that phone to your uncle and get the hell out of here.”

The Gotti family parley was recorded by federal investigators, who monitored the gangster’s visits to determine whether he was attempting to continue running the Gambino family while serving a life sentence.

Gotti, 61, died in June 2002 at a Bureau of Prisons medical center in Springfield, Missouri.