"I'm not going to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake" - Alex Rodriguez considers steroid use a legitimate reason for not making the Hall of Fame in light of Fernando Tatis Jr. PED controversy
Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is heartbroken and recalls the time when he got himself into a PED scandal in 2014.
Recently, news broke out that San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. tested positive for PEDs. He has been suspended for 80 games. In light of this controversy, Rodriguez appeared on an alternate broadcast of ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” and expressed sincere regret for his own poor choices.
"I'm not going to go to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake. And that's heartbreaking for me. It's heartbreaking to explain that to my daughters. But that's on me." – Alex Rodriguez
"Alex Rodriguez chimed in on Fernando Tatis' steroid scandal and talked about how they both will never be inducted into the Hall of Fame." - The Sporting News
Rodriguez thinks that young players should learn from his stupidity and blames the drug scandal for not making it to the Hall of Fame.
A-Rod, who was suspended for 162 games in 2014, also said that Tatis Jr.’s incident made him really sad.
“I wish that a lot of these young players who I admire so much would learn from my stupidity and my debacle. And it almost brings me to tears to see a kid like Tatis who's 23 years old, that for the rest of his career, he's just going to play it out."
A-Rod says he wishes young players like Tatis would learn from his stupidity https://t.co/4AHz98Ifr0
“A-Rod says he wishes young players like Tatis would learn from his stupidity” – Talkin’ Baseball
A-Rod expressed his disappointment that the up-and-coming generation is having to learn his mistake the hard way.
Alex Rodriguez’s 2014 Biogenesis scandal
In 2014, while an active player, Rodriguez obtained an MLB-banned substance from Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Florida. It contained anabolic, testosterone, and human growth hormones to enhance his performance.
Players including Nelson Cruz, Everth Cabrera, Johnny Peralta, Gio González, Melky Cabrera, and Ryan Braun were all implicated in the Biogenesis affair.
Six years after his suspension in 2009, Rodriguez finally came clean about using performance-enhancing drugs. In an interview with ESPN, Rodriguez admitted, "I did take a prohibited substance. I apologize really and honestly for that."
Tatis Jr. and the Padres signed a $340 million, 14-year contract in February of last year.
Speaking on the ban, Tatis Jr.'s father felt the whole situation should have been handled differently.
Fernando Tatis Sr: "It was a mistake that could have been handled differently, destroy the image of a player for such a small thing, for a situation like this. Is a catastrophe not just for Tatis Jr, but for all baseball. There’s millions of fans that will stop watching baseball"
"Fernando Tatis Sr: 'It was a mistake that could have been handled differently, destroy the image of a player for such a small thing, for a situation like this. Is a catastrophe not just for Tatis Jr, but for all baseball. There’s millions of fans that will stop watching baseball'" - Hector Gomez
Due to his 80-game suspension, Tatis Jr. will sit out the remainder of the 2022 season and the first half of the 2023 season.