For the first time since the verdict of his Biogenesis appeal and the announcement that he would be suspended for the entirety of the 2014 Major League Baseball season and postseason, Alex Rodriguez spoke to the media.
And he sounded like a man that was resigned to his fate.
His comments, via ESPN:
It's a very sad story. And we hope we can take it out of the newspapers and I hope we can start concentrating on all the good things the big league is doing with all the young players moving forward.
I think that in the year 2014, the league could have done me a favor because I've played 20 years without a timeout. I think 2014 will be a year to rest mentally and physically prepare myself for the future and begin a new chapter of my life.
I have 3 years left on my contract starting in 2015 and I hope to play very well and finish my career in New York.
He also expressed gratitude to those who have supported him during his fight against the league.
According to that report, A-Rod allegedly will nonetheless attend spring training with the Yankees. And while Rodriguez may have accepted the fact that he'll indeed be suspended, he isn't giving up the fight in this ordeal, instead electing to sue both MLB and the players' association.
Meanwhile, it probably has to be a bit of a relief for the New York Yankees and A-Rod's teammates that the entire situation is over. As Derek Jeter told Dan Martin of the New York Post, “As a teammate, you’re saddened by the whole thing. The whole thing has been kind of messy.”
He added, via Christian Red of the New York Daily News, “I mean, he’s human. I’m sure it’s a rough situation.”
Rodriguez has spent 10 seasons with the Yankees, hitting .291 with 309 home runs, 979 RBI and 910 runs scored. He's won two MVP awards in his time with the club (2005, 2007) and helped lead them to the 2009 World Series title.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, he's also made an astonishing $275,389,252 in his 10 years with the club.
However, his time in New York has been marked by controversy, namely of the steroid variety. In 2009, he admitted to using steroids during his time with the Texas Rangers after a Sports Illustrated report named 104 players who, in 2003, tested positive for banned substances.
And now, after this latest incident and subsequent suspension, his future with not only the Yankees but professional baseball in general is up for debate. Surely, the Yankees and MLB would like Rodriguez to slink quietly away from the spotlight and retire, taking all of the controversy and headlines he generates with him.
It doesn't sound as if that approach is in A-Rod's plans, however.
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