Suspended New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was detailed in his study and use of performance-enhancing drugs, Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch said in an interview on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday night.
Alex Rodriguez’s PED use outlined by Tony Bosch in 60 Minutes interview
The Biogenesis founder revealed the extent of Rodriguez’s alleged PED use in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday.
Bosch detailed his secretive relationship with Rodriguez, whose 211-game suspension was reduced to 162 games on Saturday. Bosch said he would inject Rodriguez at times with PEDs because the Yankees third baseman was “scared of needles.” Rodriguez also told Bosch to be very careful about being seen when the two men would meet.
The segment said Rodriguez spent about $12,000 a month in doing business with Bosch, and human growth hormone was one of the PEDs he used. Bosch even said there were some PEDs that Rodriguez would take right before and at the start of games with no risk of getting caught if there was testing afterward.
Bosch said becoming the only member of the 800 home run club was one of Rodriguez’s motivations.
“Alex cared. Alex wanted to know,” Bosch said. “He would study the product. He would study the substances. He would study the dosages, because he wanted to achieve all his human performance or in this case, sports performance, objectives. And the most important one was the 800 home run club.”
When things began to go south for Rodriguez, Bosch claimed his life was threatened by known associates of the Yankees infielder. Rodriguez’s lawyer Joe Tacopina denied those claims and questioned Bosch’s credibility, but Bosch did receive a guarantee of safety when he agreed to testify as MLB’s key witness against Rodriguez.
The MLBPA wasn’t pleased with the 60 Minutes segment, and they released a statement expressing their displeasure:
”It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator’s decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez. It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed Panel Arbitrator will himself be appearing in the “60 Minutes” segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB’s principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB’s blessing.
MLB’s post-decision rush to the media is inconsistent with our collectively-bargained arbitration process, in general, as well as the confidentiality and credibility of the Joint Drug Agreement, in particular. After learning of tonight’s “60 Minutes” segment, Players have expressed anger over, among other things, MLB’s inability to let the result of yesterday’s decision speak for itself. As a result, the Players Association is considering all legal options available to remedy any breaches committed by MLB.
Throughout this process the Players Association has repeatedly shown it is committed to an effective drug program that is strong and fair. And as we indicated in our statement yesterday, although we do not agree with the arbitrator’s decision, we respect the process and will act accordingly. We believe the other involved parties should do the same.”
The MLBPA’s complaint was met with a harsh response from MLB, which released a statement of its own.
"We have notified the Major League Baseball Players Association on numerous occasions that we intended to respond to all of the attacks on the integrity of our Joint Drug Program. Those attacks continued yet again yesterday with Mr. Rodriguez's statement. Out of respect to the grievance process and at the request of the MLBPA, we waited until a decision was rendered to make our response.
It is ironic that the MLBPA is complaining about MLB's participation in this program given that Mr. Rodriguez's lawyer is also participating in the show.
As to Mr. Bosch's appearance, he is not controlled by us and is entitled to speak however he chooses about his interactions with Mr. Rodriguez."
MLB commissioner Bud Selig did a brief interview for the 60 Minutes segment, calling Rodriguez’s actions “beyond comprehension.” Rodriguez declined an interview request.
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