Dec. 16, 2007
A-Rod: I've Never Used Steroids
Tells Katie Couric He's Never Been Tempted To Use Performance-Enhancing Drugs
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Play CBS Video Video 60 Minutes: A-Rod On Steroids Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez talks about George Mitchell's report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
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Video A-Rod: Hi-Tech Practice Alex Rodriguez says his game has been improved by a state-of-the-art batting cage he built near his home. The star says that being a successful hitter is 90 percent mental and 10 percent technical.
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Video A-Rod: 'No' To Doping Alex Rodriguez says that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs and has never been tempted to because he has always been happy with his performance on the field.
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Alex Rodriguez (CBS)
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Timeline Steroids & Baseball Steroid use allegations plague Major League Baseball
One baseball great who wasn't on the list is Alex Rodriguez. He's on track to become the home run king, surpassing the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. But for all of his individual accomplishments and seemingly clean record, A-Rod has been a lightning rod for criticism -- for his poor performance in the postseason, for upstaging the World Series this year, and, most of all, for his staggering paycheck. And that was before he signed a new contract with the Yankees worth an estimated $300 million dollars. Katie Couric spoke with him just after the Mitchell Report was released.
"For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?" Couric asked.
"No," Rodriguez replied.
Asked if he had ever been tempted to use any of those things, Rodriguez told Couric, "No."
"You never felt like, 'This guy's doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He's getting better numbers, playing better ball,'" Couric asked.
"I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no," he replied.
But the Mitchell Report named names, including at least 16 current and former Yankees, like superstars Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens.
What's Rodriguez's reaction to this investigation?
"Katie, you're putting me in a tough spot. I mean, these are guys that I play with. They're my teammates. If anything comes of this, I will be extremely disappointed. And it will be a huge black eye on the game of baseball," he told Couric.
"It sounds like this 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 this was going on?" Couric asked.
"You hear a lot of things. I mean, I came in 1993. And you heard whispers from the '80s and '90s. But I never saw anything. I never had raw evidence. And, quite frankly, I was probably a little bit too naïve when I first came up to understand the magnitude of all this," Rodriguez replied.
But there’s no escaping the magnitude of the scandal now. The Mitchell Report comes on the heels of Barry Bonds' recent indictment in San Francisco for perjury and obstruction of justice in a federal steroids investigation.
"Given this controversy, Alex, who do you think has the real homerun record? Barry Bonds at 762 or Hank Aaron 755?" Couric asked.
"Well, I think Barry Bonds. He has 762," Rodriguez said.
"But, he has an asterisk next to his name?" Couric remarked.
"Does he?" Rodriguez said. "Not yet."
"In the minds of many, he does," Couric said.
"The federal government is going to make its decision on that. Barry's been a phenomenal player. And I've really enjoyed watching him play. But, he's innocent 'til proven guilty," Rodriguez replied.
On the same day the Mitchell Report was front page news, A-Rod was making headlines as well. The Yankees announced he had been re-signed, breaking his own record-setting deal. He already had the highest paying contract in any team sport.
Asked why he thinks he gets so much grief over his salary, Rodriguez told Couric, "'Cause I make a lot of money."
"Your new contract is worth $300 million-plus. Are you worth it? Is any player worth that kind of salary?" Couric asked.
"I'm not sure," Rodriguez said. "I mean, that's not my job to evaluate or appraise players. I love to play baseball."
Produced By Kyra Darnton, Michael Radutzky, and Lori Beecher
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 96 CommentsA-Rod, on the other hand, was impressive and handled her questions with tact and diplomacy.
All in all... it was nice to hear what he had to say and it''s too bad that we all had to be subjected to such an unprofessional interviewER
My gripe is - where does Katie Couric get off asking if Alex is worth is salary? She makes HUGE money and I feel she certainly is NOT worth her money.
She is a poor interviewer, pushy and snarky. Nothing professional about her approach or attack on people.
Loved the interview - hated the interviewer.
The creepy thing is the commissioners all knew everything and were hoping against hope that no one would notice. Well guess what, the roids are out of the bag. Barry Bonds should not be named homerun king if he used DRUGS to get there. Give it back to Hank Arron, at least you saw the struggle, the push, the white hair and finally the motherload. At least he worked for it.
Jboxton - who cares if you saw him cr** in his pants. Maybe that should have been a clue to not eat there.
Katie may not be the best journalist in the world. But I have questioned since she joined CBS how many of you do not like her journalistic style? How many of you do not like that a woman is the anchor of the news? and she interviewed A-Rod.
Congratulations upon a great interview with A-Rod! It was a very interesting interview with A-Rod like I''ve never seen before! I remember the Press Conference with the Yankees when he first joined a few years ago! He''s a great baseball player and he has come a long way! Especially without steroids!
You certainly hit the ball out of the park with this one, Katie! Congratulations! Peter
Couric''s skills as an interviewer are non-existent. That''s been demonstrated time and again. But her unpreparedness for this interview is the major offense. There IS no asterisk (Spelled like it sounds, Katie!) next to Barry Bond''s name. At least not yet. Your suppositions aside.
It''s obvious that Couric feels as if she''s in a position to make all decisions for everyone from the President of the United States right down to the Commissioner of Baseball. The facts need not be damned. She''ll be the judge of what that facts are.
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