Fernando Tatis Jr., Alex Rodriguez.Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty; Ryan Liu/Getty
Alex Rodriguezexpressed his disappointment in 23-year-old athleteFernando Tatís Jr. after the Padres star tested positive forperformance enhancing drugs on Friday.
Duringa recent appearance on theKayRod Cast, former Yankees star Rodriguez, who received a season-long suspension from Major League Baseball after testing positive for steroids in 2003, said he wants the current generation of players to use his blunder as a deterrent.
“I wish that a lot of these young players who I admire so much would learn from my stupidity and my debacle,” said Rodriguez, 47.
Rodriguez confessed that seeing “a kid like Tatís,” who was suspended for 80 games, repeat his mistakes is emotional for the former baseball star. “It almost brings me to tears to see a kid like Tatís who’s 23 years old, that for the rest of his career, he’s just going to play it out.”
It took until 2009, six years after his suspension, for Rodriguez to publicly admit to using performance enhancing drugs. “I did take a banned substance,” Rodriguez said in aninterview with ESPN.“For that, I’m very sorry and deeply regretful.”
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Rodriguez also reflected on the consequences his mistake had made on his professional and personal lives, even after his retirement. “I’m not going to go to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake, and that’s heartbreaking for me.” Rodriguez continued, “It’s heartbreaking to explain that to my daughters. But that’s on me.”
The MLB announced Tatís Jr.’s suspension Friday evening, and it will took effect immediately, putting him out for the remainder of the season in addition to 32 games in 2023. The Padres will also be without him for the 2022 playoffs.
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“We were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn today that Fernando Tatis Jr. tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and subsequently received an 80-game suspension without pay,” the Padres said in a statement, perMLB.com. “We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Fernando will learn from this experience.”
In response to the suspension, the MLB Players Association released a statement viaTwitteron behalf of Tatís Jr., including his apology for his actions.
Continued, “I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so,” the statement continued. “I want to apologize to Peter [Seidler], A.J. [Preller], the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake.”
source: people.com
