Alex Rodriguez Says He Was 'Close to Tapping Out' During 2014 PED Suspension

Three-time American League MVP Alex Rodriguez said sitting out the entire 2014 MLB season due to a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs was "rock bottom."

On Wednesday, Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter passed along comments from A-Rod, who admitted there were some dark moments during his year away from baseball (link contains profanity).

"There were nights in Miami when I was close to tapping out," he said.

Rodriguez is one of the best players of his generation. He stepped away from the game last August with a .295/.380/.550 career triple-slash line, 696 home runs and 329 stolen bases. He earned 14 All-Star selections and 10 Silver Slugger Awards to go along with his MVP trophies.

Yet the PED suspension created a dark cloud over an otherwise illustrious career. While it created doubt concerning the legitimacy of his elite numbers and led him to consider "tapping out," he told Guthrie the situation was a turning point in his life.

"It's probably too soon for me to say this, but maybe in 10 years I'll be able to say that the ' '14 sabbatical' was one of the best things that happened in my life," Rodriguez said, before adding: "I'll say this: That year off I just had to f—ing change and stop being a jerk."

Now A-Rod, who rose to prominence with the Seattle Mariners starting in 1994 before making a boatload of money with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, is working to repair his image through his impressive work as a Fox Sports broadcaster.

He's always been a student of the game—he once asked legendary Yankees teammate Derek Jeter why he didn't have the baseball package on television because he was accustomed to watching other games when he wasn't playing—and that shines through in his new role.

In addition, the longtime baseball star has remained in the spotlight working on ABC's Shark Tank and is shooting a show called Back in the Game for CNBC. He's also found his way into the tabloids as the boyfriend of singer and actress Jennifer Lopez.

Yet, it's unclear whether Rodriguez will be remembered in the future as one of baseball's most feared sluggers for over two decades or just another key face in the Steroid Era.

"I think that is to be determined," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "But I left it all on the field. My best two years happened at 19 and as a broken-down 40-year-old. I hadn't played in basically two years, two hip surgeries, two knee surgeries, scandal.

"And if you think about that arc, that tells you a hell of a story, right? The mistakes I've made are loud and clear. But one thing I am proud of is, I did not let those mistakes define who I am. I kept getting up."