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
Opt-out, meaning he was leaving to become a free agent. That announcement upstaged one of the biggest nights in baseball.
"Can you understand why so many people found that so incredibly offensive?" Couric asked.
"Absolutely. A hundred percent," Rodriguez said. "If I was a sports writer, if I was a fan, I would have been very, very upset. I was angry and upset. Shocked -- disbelief. I mean, I'm sitting in my living room."
"You were watching the game?" Couric asked.
"Yes. And that was very, very difficult," Rodriguez said.
Asked what he did when he heard it, Rodriguez told Couric, "Nightmare -- you know, I got white like a ghost. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I was under the impression that it would come out a day or two after the World Series concluded. And I would never do anything to harm the game … to the Red Sox and the Rockies, my deepest apologies, and to all of Major League Baseball."
"You got hammered by the press. A number of respected sports writers called you, among other things, 'A gold plated phony.' 'Pay-Rod in Pinstripes.' They say you upstaged more World Series games than you actually played in. Were you surprised at the level of vitriol that came your way?" Couric asked.
"No. If I was a writer, I would have done the same thing, because it was unacceptable. And inappropriate," Rodriguez said. "And, you know, when you do things the wrong way, that’s what you get."
The whole debacle started, he says, when his agent, Scott Boras, told him the Yankees didn’t want him anymore.
"But they were trying to reach out to you. It's kind of hard to believe that you were taking Scott Boras' word as gospel when you had all these other signs coming from Yankee management," Couric remarks.
"You're right," Rodriguez says.
Asked why he fell for that, Rodriguez said, "Why wouldn't I trust my attorney. Most people trust their attorneys. I'm a baseball player. I'm not an attorney. I've never negotiated a contract."
But at the age of 32, he was about to.
"When I realized things were going haywire, at that point, I said, 'Wait a minute! I got to be accountable for my own life…this is not going the way I wanted to go and I got behind the wheel,' and I called Hank," Rodriguez recalled.
Hank, as in George Steinbrenner's son, who is now in charge of the Yankees. Taking the advice of his friend billionaire Warren Buffet, A-Rod says he negotiated directly and personally with the Yankees.
Scott Boras, who told 60 Minutes he couldn't talk about his clients, was not welcome at the table, but he still stands to make about $15 million on the deal. A-Rod says he will pay him, and will keep him.
"What is your relationship like with him today? Why do you have to think about that so much?" Couric asked Rodriguez.
"Well, the whole situation saddens me a little bit," he replied.
Asked if he talks with him at all, Rodriguez said "No."
"Do you think that will change?" Couric asked.
"We’ll see," Rodriguez said.
Asked if he was talking to Boras during the negotiation process, Rodriguez said, "No, I wasn't. I was talking with my wife."
"Cynthia, how do you think Alex changed as a result of this?" Couric asked.
"He wasn't used to having to take such initiative and such action, especially in this arena….and he actually had to pick up the phone, make the calls, make some decisions and stand behind them…be confident and be sure…it was very difficult, but it was a huge growing experience," Rodriguez's wife replied.
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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