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Alex Rodriguez releases hand-written apology for suspension

 
Alex Rodriguez says he’s fully responsible for his seasonlong suspension.
Alex Rodriguez says he’s fully responsible for his seasonlong suspension.
Published Feb. 18, 2015

Preparing to make his re-entry to baseball after his seasonlong suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, Alex Rodriguez issued a brief, handwritten statement Tuesday apologizing for his behavior. It was his first public comment on the matter since his suspension went into effect for the 2014 season.

While not directly admitting the use of performance-enhancing drugs, the Yankees slugger tacitly acknowledged that the record 162-game suspension was warranted and that he took responsibility for his misdeeds.

"To the fans," the statement read. "I take full responsibility for the mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season. I regret that my actions made the situation worse than it needed to be. To Major League Baseball, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the players association and you, the fans, I can only say I'm sorry.

"I accept the fact that many of you will not believe my apology or anything that I say at this point. I understand why, and that's on me."

In the statement, Rodriguez also said that it was "gracious" of the Yankees to offer him the use of Yankee Stadium for a more elaborate apology, but he was not going to take them up on it.

"I decided the next time I am in Yankee Stadium, I should be in pinstripes doing my job," the statement read.

Left unanswered is when and where Rodriguez, 39, will choose to speak initially to reporters about his return and all the issues connected with it. The Yankees wanted Rodriguez to do so at Yankee Stadium before he reported to spring training, reasoning that it would be less of a distraction to the team to do it there rather than in Tampa.

But now it appears that when Rodriguez does meet with reporters to go over the same ground raised in the statement, it will indeed be in Tampa.

The statement echoed similar apologies made to Major League Baseball, the Yankees and the players association earlier this month, not only for the fallout for getting caught using drugs but also for his combative and litigious approach while trying to defend himself against the accusations.

In August 2013, Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games for his involvement with the Biogenesis laboratory in Coral Gables. The suspension was later reduced to 162 games by an arbitrator. Since then, new commissioner Rob Manfred has said that Rodriguez, having served his punishment, is welcome back to baseball.

"I served the longest suspension in the history of the League for PED use," the statement continued. "The commissioner has said the matter is over. The players association has said the same. The Yankees have said the next step is to play baseball. I'm ready to put this chapter behind me and play some ball. This game has been my single biggest passion since I was a teenager. When I go to spring training, I will do everything I can to be the best player and teammate possible, earn a spot on the Yankees and help us win."

Rodriguez signed the statement, "Sincerely, Alex."

Also Tuesday, the man who testified that he sold PEDs to Rodriguez was sentenced to four years in prison.

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Anthony Bosch, the fake doctor who ran Biogenesis, which shut down in late 2012, apologized in court in Miami. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles issued the sentence after calling Bosch, 51, the "mastermind" of a major drug-distribution network.

Bosch became MLB's main witness in the subsequent suspensions of 14 pro ballplayers, including Rodriguez.