A-Rod did it!
Alex Rodriguez today broke his silence on the steroids question, telling ESPN he used performance-enhancing drugs for three years when he was with the Texas Rangers.
In the interview, which ESPN aired this evening, Rodriguez apologized and said he didn’t know which substances he used.
“I was young, I was stupid, I was naive and I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worthy of being one of the greatest players of all time,” he said.
“When I arrived in Texas, I felt tremendous pressure to perform,” said Rodriguez, who signed a 10-year, $252 million contract when he joined the Rangers in 2001.
“It’s the biggest regret I have in my life because baseball has given me everything,” Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons.
“It feels good coming out and being completely honest. … The more honest we can all be, the quicker we can get baseball [back] to where it needs to be.”
Rodriguez described the culture in the early 2000s as being “different” and “loose.”
“There were a lot of players doing a lot of things and there was a lot of gray area, too,” he said.
Rodriguez said he was “deeply regretful” and added, “I’m just sorry. I’m sorry to my fans, I’m sorry to my fans in Texas.”
“I was stupid for three years. I was very, very stupid,” Rodriguez said. “I started experimenting with things that, today, are not legal, that today are not accepted. … Ever since that incident happened, I realized that I don’t need any of it.”
Rodriguez said he came to that conclusion during spring training of 2003, when he said he suffered a serious neck injury.
“That point in bed, I realized, ‘What am I doing?'” Rodriguez said. “[I’m not only hurting] my baseball career, [but] after my career.”
Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees for the 2004 season after a trade from Texas, said “all my years in New York have been clean.”
Rodriguez said he has spoken to Yankees GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“I’ve talked to our front office and they’re supporting me,” Rodriguez said. “They just want me to be truthful and honest.
“They’re ready for bigger and better things.”
The superstar’s admission came two days after SI.com broke the news that he tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003 while playing for the Rangers.
“I want to see [the tests],” Rodriguez said. “I haven’t seen them, in fairness to me.”
He accused Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts of “stalking” him and said, “Really respectable journalists are following this lady off the cliff.”
SI and Roberts issued a statement standing by the story and the manner in which it was reported.
Since the report, a chorus of commentators have called on A-Rod to come clean, and suggested he has imperiled his chances for entering baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Rodriguez asked that he be judged for his pre- and post-Texas career, when he was starring for the Marniers and Yankees, and on the nine years he has remaining on his contract going forward.
A-Rod denied using steroids in a 2007 But today, he changed his story.
“I am guilty of being very naive and I am deeply sorry for that,” he said.
“The truth needed to come out a long time ago and I’m glad it’s coming out today.”