When Alex Rodriguez's admission of PED use in 2009 shocked former Rangers owner Tom Hicks
Alex Rodriguez is considered one of the best baseball players to ever take the field. He was touted to be one of the sport's biggest prospects when the Seattle Mariners signed him in 1994. What followed was a 22-year career where he broke numerous individual records and set new standards for the shortstop position.
A 14-time MLB All-Star, Rodriguez moved to the Texas Rangers after opting out of his contract with the Mariners. He signed a 10-year $252 million contract, which was the highest in the sport at the time. Rodriguez won his first American League MVP award in 2003 with the Rangers, but the team as a whole fell short of expectations and failed to make the playoffs.
After moving to the New York Yankees in 2004, Alex Rodriguez finally tasted success, winning the World Series in 2009. But soon after that he was embroiled in off-field drama, admitting to the usage of performance-enhancing from 2001-03.
In 2009, a report published by Selena Roberts of Sports Illustrated uncovered a list of 104 players who had tested positive for PEDs during the 2003 season. The tests were conducted by the government and were part of an anonymous trial to figure out the necessity of PED tests, and Alex's name was one of the primary ones on that list.
Tom Hicks, the Rangers' owner at the time, was shocked to hear the news. In a public statement, he said that he felt betrayed by a player of Alex Rodriguez's stature.
"I feel personally betrayed. I feel deceived by Alex ... 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?"
Alex Rodriguez also disappointed President Barack Obama with his admission
Like the majority of the baseball community, then US President Barack Obama was also disappointed to hear Alex Rodriguez's admission.
He said:
"If you're a fan of Major League Baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era, to some degree...And it's unfortunate because I think there were a lot of ballplayers who played it straight."
In 2007, A-Rod had denied ever using PEDs in the past. But within 48 hours of the report getting published, Alex admitted to using PEDs during his time with the Texas Rangers.