Alex Rodriguez Apologies, Attempts To Move Forward with New Legacy

Assuming the report is true, assuming Alex Rodriguez is sorry, assuming his admission to steroid use and the sincerity in his voice was genuine, A-Rod should be forgiven. Of course, this is a lot to assume.

When Alex Rodriguez’s positive test result was released to the public, things could not have looked worse. The report was obviously true, and the baseball world was left wondering “What comes next?” All indicators pointed to either a denial on the part of A-Rod or simply a “no comment” approach, which was sure to draw nothing but comments in return.

It was almost a guarantee that Rodriguez would do one of these two options, and ultimately ostracize himself further from what little of a normal career he could have left.

No player has ever been in Alex Rodriguez’s position before. Sure, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi admitted to and apologized for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, but none of them were the highest paid player in the league, or the most likely successor to the home run king.

None of them were Alex Rodriguez.

It’s the same reason that whomever leaked A-Rod’s name most likely knew about other players but chose to focus on one. It’s the same reason everyone cares about this story. It’s the same reason that his response to the allegations was equally important as the truth of the conviction itself.

This is A-Rod.

Unfortunately, anyone that was hoping for Alex to “do the right thing and admit his use” was doing so with crossed fingers and lucky charms around his or her neck. It seemed more likely that Don Zimmer would take Pedro Martinez out for dinner than A-Rod own up to his mistakes and be honest with the extent of his use.

Don, I suggest the filet mignon.

In an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez takes full responsibility for his actions and apologizes to the fans for cheating them. The very thing that baseball fans needed to hear, they did.

Rodriguez does not opt for the Andy Pettitte excuse of “one time only,” but actually explains when and why he used steroids. He was forthright and honest, and spoke with a look of sincerity in his eyes, where it was shockingly clear he was speaking from the heart.

As baseball fans, we now have to trust what Rodriguez is telling us. We have been wrongfully trained to doubt the statements of any athlete, especially one that has cheated. But one thing we have learned is that an athlete that admits with full disclosure the details of his actions (right or wrong) has usually left everything on the table.

Jose Canseco is a prime example of this; although he cheated, once he started telling the truth, it seems no lies followed.

Rodriguez was unfairly put in a no-win situation. His name should not have been released, and although he also should not have cheated in the first place, we understand now that a disgusting amount of Rodriguez’s colleagues have.

Rodriguez’s admission of steroid use is the first step for Major League Baseball to finally make some progress in this matter. Assuming more names eventually surface (which they will), people can point to A-Rod’s honesty in this situation and how hard he will have to work to regain the trust of fans.

Of course, people will point to his cheating and lying in the past as denying the use of ever using steroids, but his actions at the time were neither punishable nor enforced. In addition, admitting to something that he stopped using after testing was implemented would have been, simply put, stupid.

By the sheer statistics, A-Rod was one of many people cheating in what will be known in history as the “steroid era.” Lying would have unnecessarily indicted himself in a world where we already assume the majority of players use.

Besides Rodriguez’s potential status in history, what separates him from the rest of people previously caught with steroids is that he may be the only one that can still prove his legacy was legitimate.

With nine years left on his contract, it is conceivable that he can produce Hall of Fame numbers that, coupled with his New York years where he explained that he had stopped using steroids (and one has to assume this is true since testing is more strict now than ever) might make him the first person ever to overcome such a devastating blow to his legacy.

The first step has been taken on A-Rod’s behalf. He made the only decision that will at least garner him some respect, if not pity. Although he is to blame for making the mistake in the first place, he should have never been the only player implicated in the leaked documents.

It’s sad, it’s disgusting, and it shouldn’t be this way, but it seems like almost everybody cheats. Does the admission of guilt and sincere apology absolve them from their sins? No, but this is a country where Adam “Pacman” Jones can commit actual crimes and continuously be reinstated into the NFL.

It will be unrealistic for people to argue that A-Rod’s actions should be forgotten, but his willingness to take responsibility did earn him one thing that’s undeniable: a second chance.

Mario Mergola is the co-creator and writer of The Digital Blitz.