Alex Rodriguez Says PED Suspension Cost Him His Reputation, More Than $40M

Alex Rodriguez's use of performance-enhancing drugs during his Major League Baseball career came at a high cost personally and financially.

In an interview on Undeniable with Joe Buck (via ESPN.com), Rodriguez said he lost his reputation and cost himself over $40 million in salary by taking steroids:

"Yeah, I mean there's so many frustrating things when you look back at that. Number one, you have a guaranteed contract for hundreds of millions of dollars. Literally, you can sit on the couch and get fat. Right, how stupid can you be? ... This thing cost me over $40 million. And it cost me my reputation, and it may have cost me the Hall of Fame and a number of other things."

Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season after he was named among athletes who obtained illegal performance-enhancing drugs and human growth hormone in the Biogenesis scandal.

In addition to sitting out all 162 games for the New York Yankees in 2014, Rodriguez received less than $3 million of his $25 million base salary for the season.

Rodriguez told Buck he would wake up some nights in 2014 asking himself: "How the F did I get myself in this position?' I'm the only jackass that has pocket aces and figures out a way to lose the hand."

Rodriguez had a successful return in 2015 with 33 home runs in 151 games, but he struggled with a .200/.247/.351 slash line in 65 games in 2016 before moving into a special advisor role with the Yankees after playing his final game Aug. 12.