Jose Canseco once claimed Pepsi Cola deal went south because they wanted to avoid association with steroid users: "They wanted to clean everything"

Former MLB outfielder Jose Canseco once claimed that rumors he was juicing cost him "close to a million dollars" in sponsorship deals.

In a 1989 interview, the 6-foot-4 slugger claimed Pepsi Cola was among the most high-profile companies to back out.

As per Canseco, Pepsi was not interested in using his name because they didn't want to be associated with someone with a tarnished image.

"It cost me probably close to a million dollars in endorsements," Canseco said. "Just like that, Pepsi Cola dropped me because they wanted to clean everything. They didn't want a steroid image or anything like that even though it's false. They didn't want that lingering around me."

Born in Cuba but raised in Florida, Canseco was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1985. After being named the best player in MiLB in 1985, he was promoted to the bigs in 1986. That year, the outfielder hit .240/.318/.457 with 33 home runs and 117 RBIs, cruising to a first-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1988, his 42 home runs and 124 RBIs led MLB in both categories, and led to Canseco being given MVP honors that year. In 1990, his five-year, $23.5 million deal made him the first-ever baseball player to net $5 million per annum.

At that time, rumors began to circulate about Canseco being involved with performance-enhancing drugs. Although Canseco denied PED use during the 1980s and 1990s, he eventually came clean. His 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big was a tell-all indictment of several players, including A's teammate Mark McGwire.

After his career ended, Canseco admitted that the only season that he did not use steroids was as a member of the 1998 Toronto Blue Jays. Although he was awarded a Silver Slugger that year, he also led MLB in strikeouts.

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