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Baseball star admits steroid use | Baseball star admits steroid use |
(1 day later) | |
Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has admitted using performance-enhancing steroids earlier in his career. | |
"I did take a banned substance," said the New York Yankees idol in an interview with US sports network ESPN. | |
"For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful. I was stupid for three years. I was very, very stupid." | |
Rodriguez does not face any punishment over his admission. He tested positive in 2003, before Major League Baseball introduced its tough anti-drugs regime. | |
The tests were carried out to determine whether the League needed to take a tougher stance on the issue. | |
According to Sports Illustrated magazine, Rodriguez - playing at the time for the Texas Rangers - was one of 104 players with positive results. | |
MLB maintains that the 2003 tests were "intended to be non-disciplinary and anonymous", and that the list should have remained confidential. | |
Rodriguez said: "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform at a high level every day. | |
"I started experimenting with things that, today, are not legal, that today are not accepted. | |
"Back then, it was a different culture [surrounding drugs]. It was very loose. I was young and naive. I am sorry for my Texas years. I apologise to the fans of Texas." | |
Tarnished game | Tarnished game |
Rodriguez joined the New York Yankees in 2004, and signed a new 10-year contract just over a year ago for a reported $275m (£185m). | |
He insisted: "All my years in New York have been clean." | |
In modern baseball, they do not get bigger than A-Rod. | |
As well as being the sport's highest-paid player, he has been romantically linked to Madonna, although both say they are simply good friends. | |
He is an American superstar and, until recently, was seen as the great hope for baseball after its image was tarnished by a series of drug use revelations. | |
His admission about steroid use in 2003 is depressing for those in the US who regard baseball as the quintessential American pastime and expect more of its stars. | His admission about steroid use in 2003 is depressing for those in the US who regard baseball as the quintessential American pastime and expect more of its stars. |
Even US president Barack Obama has expressed his disappointment, saying: "I think it's depressing news on top of what's been a flurry of depressing items when it comes to Major League Baseball. | |
"If you're a fan of Major League Baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era, to some degree. It's unfortunate, because I think there are a lot of ballplayers who played it straight." |
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