New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli talked Tuesday about his relationship with Biogenesis, saying he went to the clinic in hopes they could help him heal from injury more quickly, reports Long Island Newsday.
Francisco Cervelli details Biogenesis relationship
The Yankees catcher talked Tuesday about his motivation to go to the now-infamous Florida clinic.
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“Sometimes you listen to people who have nothing to lose; that’s dangerous,” Cervelli told Newsday. “When you’re desperate or anxious or scared, that’s when you have to step back, slow down and think about what can happen in the future with your actions in the present.”
Cervelli says he accepts full responsibility for his actions and said he told his lawyers that he wanted to come clean as soon as MLB began announcing suspensions.
Though he has battled through numerous injuries in his career, Cervelli says he went to Biogenesis in hopes of recovering from a broken left foot he suffered in spring training of 2011. At the time, he was fighting for a roster spot.
“I felt so many times in my career a little scared I’m going to lose my job,” said Cervelli. “Every year I have to go to spring training and fight for a job.”
The MLB suspended 13 players, including Cervelli, for taking illegal supplements from the Biogenesis clinic. He and 11 others took a 50 game suspension while Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun took a 65 game hit. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez remains embroiled in a legal battle as he fights a 211 game suspension.
Cervelli won the Yankees starting job at catcher in spring training of 2013 before a broken hand, an elbow injury and his suspension limited him to just 17 games. The final surgery on his hand came the day the suspensions were announced. Because of those injuries, he likely would have missed all of 2013, anyway.
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