Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez told federal officials he used banned drugs, report says

Miami Herald cites 15-page summary of January meeting in which New York Yankees star is said to have admitted he bought and used testosterone syringes from Miami Biogenesis clinic

Alex Rodriguez has been restored to the New York Yankees roster after serving a 12-month ban for drug offences, which he publicly denied.
Alex Rodriguez has been restored to the New York Yankees roster after serving a 12-month ban for drug offences, which he publicly denied. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

Reuters in Miami

The New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with federal agents, according to reports.


Rodriguez has publicly denied using banned substances from the Florida Biogenesis clinic at the centre of baseball’s doping scandal, despite having last week completed a one-year MLB suspension for violating the league’s doping program.

But the Miami Herald reports that Rodriguez admitted buying and using hormone-filled syringes and creams from the clinic, citing a 15-page summary of a January meeting with federal officials.

The Herald gained access to the documents as prosecutors pursue criminal charges against the clinic’s owner and six others tied to one of sport’s biggest doping scandals, including Rodriguez’s cousin, Yuri Sucart.

In the meeting, Rodriguez admitted to
injecting human growth hormone into his stomach, according to the report reviewed by the newspaper, and described to federal authorities how the owner of the now-defunct clinic gave him tips on evading MLB’s doping tests.

Ron Berkowitz, Rodriguez’s agent, could not immediately be reached for comment. MLB had no comment on the article.

A spokeswoman for the Miami field office of the US Drug Enforcement Administration said she did not know what report the Herald cited, and declined further comment in the case. Federal prosecutors also declined to comment.

Anthony Bosch, who owned the clinic where prosecutors allege professional athletes paid as much as $12,000 per month for testosterone-filled syringes and creams, pleaded guilty last month to a felony charge of conspiracy to distribute testosterone.

Rodriguez, 39, who was recently reinstated to the Yankees roster, was only 18 years old when he made his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 1994. He established himself as one of baseball’s top sluggers, driving in more than 100 runs in 14 seasons and hitting more than 30 home runs 14 times. He was the American League’s most valuable player in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

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