Alex Rodriguez On Steroids: “I Was Too Naive”

The recent news that Alex Rodriguez took steroids in 2003 brings to mind this December 2007 interview with Katie Couric for 60 minutes. In the interview A-Rod denies ever using, or being tempted to use steroids, hormones or other performance enhancing substance. Liar!

Some highlights from the interview, besides the mesmerizing sight that is watching a highly focused Rodriguez avoid getting hit by the Couric firing line, include:

Couric: For the record, have you ever used steroids, Human Growth Hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?

Rodriguez: No.

Couric: Have you ever been tempted to use any of those things?

Rodriguez: No.

Couric: What’s your reaction to this investigation (the Mitchell Report)?

Rodriguez: Katie, you’re putting me in a tough spot. These are guys that I’ve played with. They’re my teammates, friends … if anything comes of this, it would be extremely disappointing. And it would be a huge black eye on the game of baseball.

Couric: It sounds like this (steroid use in baseball) is rampant. According to the Mitchell Report, every single club has a player using banned substances. Did you ever witness, or hear about or even suspect that this was going on?

Rodriguez: You hear a lot of things. I mean, I came in the game in 1993 and you heard whispers about the 80s and 90s. But I never saw anything, I never had raw evidence and quite frankly I was probably a little too naive when I first came up to understand the magnitude of all of this.

We can understand why A-Rod would not admit to taking performance enhancing drugs, especially after he was under the impression that the report would not see the light of day. But, to go out in public and lie about it, and in a way act disgusted by it, is just plain hypocritical and in line with A Rod’s past selfish behavior. Do you think that A Rod will be reprimanded in any way for this?