Well that was fast. Only two days after Sports Illustrated ran a story accusing Alex Rodriguez of taking steroids while he was playing for the Texas Rangers, he gave an interview to ESPN admitting that he took steroids. Although he doesn’t play himself off as a complete victim, he does blame outside pressures for his decision to take steroids. He says that his huge contract with the Rangers made him feel like he needed to be the best, and that he thought the ‘roids would help get him there. He also admits that he didn’t know exactly what he was taking, and didn’t do any research.

Sources who know about the testing results told SI that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, an anabolic steroid. In his ESPN interview, which his ex-wife, Cynthia, attended, Rodriguez said he did not know exactly which substance or substances he had taken. In 2003, there were no penalties for a positive result.
“Again, it was such a loosey-goosey era,” Rodriguez said. “I’m guilty for a lot of things. I’m guilty for being negligent, naive, not asking all the right questions. And to be quite honest, I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using.”

A three-time AL Most Valuable Player, Rodriguez blamed himself and his $252 million contract he signed with the Rangers in 2001 for his decision to use PEDs.

“I felt a tremendous pressure to play, and play really well” in Texas, the New York Yankees third baseman said. “I had just signed this enormous contract … I felt like I needed something, a push, without over-investigating what I was taking, to get me to the next level.”

Rodriguez also said part of the reason he started using drugs was the heat in Texas.

“Can I have an edge just to get out there and play every day?” he said to himself. “You basically end up trusting the wrong people. You end up, you know, not being very careful about what you’re ingesting.”

Rodriguez added: “I am sorry for my Texas years. I apologize to the fans of Texas.”

Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees for the 2004 season after a trade from Texas, said his years as a Yankee “have been clean.”

“I’ve played the best baseball of my career since,” he said. “I’ve won two MVPs since and I’ve never felt better in my career. Of that I’m very proud of.”

But right now, people aren’t looking at his current record. They’re looking at the mistakes he has made and realizing the implications for the culture of baseball. Even Obama is disappointed.

In his first prime-time news conference, President Barack Obama called Rodriguez’s admission “depressing” news.

“And if you’re a fan of Major League Baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era, to some degree,” Obama said. “And it’s unfortunate, because I think there were a lot of ballplayers who played it straight.”

Major League Baseball had no comment Monday. Rangers owner Tom Hicks said Rodriguez’s admission caught him by surprise.

“I feel personally betrayed. I feel deceived by Alex,” Hicks said in a conference call, according to The Associated Press. “He assured me that he had far too much respect for his own body to ever do that to himself. … I certainly don’t believe that if he’s now admitting that he started using when he came to the Texas Rangers, why should I believe that it didn’t start before he came to the Texas Rangers?”

[from ESPN]

I don’t care how naive you are, you have to be stupid to agree to take any kind of drug without doing some kind of research. Steroids are banned for a reason. You have to feel a little sorry for him, though. He also says in the interview that it “feels good being completely honest and putting it out there and realizing that the more honest we can all be, the quicker we can get baseball to where it needs to be.” It shouldn’t be too long before he’ll be making appearances and donating money to foundations to get kids to stay away from steroids. Hopefully he won’t get paid millions to do that, too.

Note by Celebitchy: Deceiver points out that in a 2004 interview Rodriguez denied ever taking steroids.

Alex Rodriguez is shown on 7/15/08 during a parade in NY for MLB All-Star Week. Credit: WENN