In January 2013, here's how Alex Rodriguez reacted to a Miami New Times exposé that a Coral Gables clinic had been selling him steroids for years: "Alex Rodriguez was not Mr. Bosch's patient," he said in a statement, "he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him."
That's been A-Rod's story for the past 22 months, from the tumultuous aftermath of that investigation through a knockdown fight with MLB over a record drug suspension. But when the Yankees star finally went under oath to talk to the feds earlier this year, he changed his tune.
In a 15-page tell-all, A-Rod at last admitted everything: It was all true. He'd been buying steroids from Bosch for years -- and then lying to public and MLB officials about it for months.
There's not much in his confession that hasn't already been reported. But the pure cynicism of A-Rod openly lying about so much of his role in Biogenesis is sure to be the last nail in the coffin of whatever public goodwill the slugger had left.
See also: Tony Bosch and Biogenesis: MLB Steroid Scandal
Miami Herald reporter Jay Weaver got to take a look at the DEA's synopsis of a January 29 meeting between the star player and federal agents in a Weston conference room.
A-Rod's confession almost completely mirrors Tony Bosch's confidential testimony during Rodriguez's arbitration hearing -- testimony which I detail in my book about the scandal, Blood Sport, with co-author Gus Garcia-Roberts.
He admits he first met Bosch in a Tampa hotel room in 2010. He cops to getting his blood drawn at LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. And he acknowledges that his cousin, Yuri Sucart, was his main drug connection for years.
None of this is earth-shattering news. But the fact that A-Rod was so open with the feds in contradicting everything he's said in public since the scandal broke sheds harsh light on the stunning levels of his bald-faced lying.
Here's the full statement his reps sent out after New Times' story broke:
The news report about a purported relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch are not true. Alex Rodriguez was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. The purported documents referenced in the story -- at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez -- are not legitimate.
And who could forget his theatrical exit from the arbitration hearing which later confirmed a season-long ban for him for his Biogenesis crimes? A-Rod pounded a table, screamed at the room and then stormed over to friendly radio host Mike Francesca, where he had this exchange:
Were you guilty of any of these charges?No.
Did you do anything wrong?
No.
Did you do any PEDs?
No.
Did you obstruct justice, any witnesses, did you do anything that they accuse you of doing?
No.
Nothing?
Nothing.
A-Rod will return to the Yankees this spring. The team says it'll give him a shot on the field. If he hits again, some fans will probably find a way to cheer for him again. But any last hopes the star had of redeeming his public image are surely shattered by this latest dent in his reputation.
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