Feb 12 2009
A-Rod Failed Steroid Test; Union Asked to Make the List Public
With the confession of Alex Rodriguez on his 3 year steroid use, more baseball players are asking the executive director of the players union to release the list. The controversial list contains the names of 104 players who were tested positive for steroid use six years ago. The league conducted massive testing of their players in 2003. Players like Torii Hunter of the Angels and Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros are asking for the release of the list to the public since the confidentiality has been breached. Those players who failed the test should be indentified.
Hunter told The Times that he was upset that these names on the list came out. “Someone dropped the ball,” he said. He suggests to those 103 players to come out since Alex Rodriguez already made a public confession. Berkman believes that the release of the confidential test result is deplorable. However, he still wants to know who among the players of the league took performance enhancing drugs. Berkman added that “those of us that never taken anything like steroids or HGH or anything like that, I’d like to know who has.”
According to Union Chief Donald Fehr, it is unlikely that the list will be made public. There was an agreement between the players and the union on the anonymity of the names of the players who participated in the 2003 steroid test. “Whatever rights individual players had under those agreements have to be respected,” Fehr said. The union had already consulted with lawyers about the possibility of an investigation into the disclosure of Rodriguez’s result.
MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred also said in a statement that they are disturbed by the issue. The survey testing that took place in 2003 was intended to be non disciplinary and anonymous.
Alex Rodriguez made the confession on ESPN about his steroid use while still playing for Rangers to make him cope up with the pressure he is getting from the league. Somehow he was also influenced by other players in the league to use steroids. Although he said that he is sorry for his mistakes for those years he is on steroids.
This mess started when Sports Illustrated reported that A-Rod was positive for two anabolic steroids with Texas in 2003. He reportedly tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone. He was the American League MVP that season with the Texas Rangers and winner of the home run title. A-Rod is a three-time AL MVP, hit 553 career homers and an All-Star third baseman. He is also regarded by many as the most likely to break Bonds’ record of 762. He is now considered as one of the biggest baseball superstar and the highest paid player in baseball. His contract with the Yankees is worth $275 million for a 10 year contract.
There were many talks in the last year’s spring training that the names on the list would come out according to a source who asks not to be named since the union has a directive not to discuss internal business publicly. According to the source, they already asked the union on how they would respond if the test result was disclosed.
However, Fehr did not agree on this saying that he never recalled any confrontation in any meeting last spring training. Although he admitted that he discussed the issue to the players since federal agents already have a copy of the test results since 2004.
It is expected that Donald Fehr will discuss the issue with the players in this spring’s training.
Alex Rodriguez is now included in the growing Who’s Who lineup of drug-tainted stars that includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco.
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