Alex Rodriguez spoke to the media today about his admission that he had used steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers:
TAMPA, Fla. — Eight days after admitting his steroid use in a television interview, Alex Rodriguez offered more details in a news conference after his arrival at Yankees spring training camp on Tuesday. With dozens of teammates standing nearby and roughly 200 reporters watching, Rodriguez said he and a cousin obtained the drugs in the Dominican Republic and injected them for an energy boost.
“My mistake was because I was immature and I was stupid,” Rodriguez said. “I blame myself. For a week here, I kept looking for people to blame, and I keep looking at myself.”
In his interview last week, which followed a revelation by Sports Illustrated that he had tested positive for a banned substance in 2003, Rodriguez said he used illegal drugs from 2001 to 2003 but did not know what he took. On Tuesday, he identified the drug as “boli” but did not identify the cousin.
Rodriguez said he injected himself with the drug twice a month for six months a year, yet he did not know if he was using it properly or whether it was safe. Rodriguez, who was 25 years old in 2001 and had signed a contract for $252 million, repeatedly said he was young at the time of his drug use.
“It goes back to being young and being curious,” Rodriguez said. “I realized after my neck injury in ’03 that I was being silly and irresponsible and I decided to stop. And I was a young guy.”
Rodriguez said he had never taken human growth hormone but admitted to taking a supplement called Ripped Fuel when he played for the Seattle Mariners, his team from 1994 through 2000. Ripped Fuel contained ephedra and is now banned by Major League Baseball.
So now, Rodriguez must move on and try to prove himself again.
The reaction at stadiums around the league will be predictable, but being a star player for the Yankee meant Rodriguez wasn’t exactly getting a warm reception during Away games to begin with. The question is what the fans at home will think and that, I think, depends on how he does this season.
