Jose Canseco once opened up about prioritizing passion over wealth: "I was never a type of guy that was really into money that much"
MLB legend Jose Canseco was a star player in the late 1980s. It was his dream to be a baseball player, with the World Series champion getting drafted in 1982. Two years ago, Canseco revealed how baseball was more important to him than material wealth.
In the interview, Canseco was asked about the $23.5 million deal (the highest in MLB at the time) contract that he signed in 1990. He responded:
"I paid off my father's house. I bought some family members houses cars and took care of them. I bought a house, a car, a couple of cars. That was about it. You got to pay taxes.
"All of a sudden you've got more friends and family that you know. You want to make sure that everyone is comfortable. I was never a type of guy that was really into money that much. I just love to play baseball."
Jose Canseco was undoubtedly a talented athlete. He played a significant role in the Oakland Athletic's win against the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 World Series. Unfortunately, his storied MLB career was marred by his PED usage.
Jose Canseco acknowledged using drugs in 2005. Conseco's physique during his heavy-hitting days with the Oakland Athletics was nothing short of amazing, so his admission about drugs put long-running rumors to rest.
Jose Canseco regrets taking PEDs
In a 2008 interview, Canseco spoke about taking steroids and that he would never recommend them to young children just starting out in the game. He doesn't think it's a shortcut that's worth taking.
"Would I advise if I had a son, to use steroids, no. Would I advise kids to use steroids, no. But that's just the way my life turned out." - Jose Canseco said.
Despite his image getting tarnished by performance-enhancing drugs, Jose Canseco's 17-year MLB career was a sight to behold.
He posted astounding numbers, including 462 home runs and 1407 RBIs, and dominated the game physically.