Alex Rodriguez and Managing a Disaster

In the face of empirical evidence, Alex Rodriguez admitted the use of performance enhancing drugs. The full extent of that admission may not be realized for years. However, the impact of the disclosure even reached President Obama’s first press conference. The President categorized it as “depressing news”.

Nevertheless, Alex Rodriguez and his team of lawyers and media specialists are in full damage control mode. There are subtleties that cannot be missed:

• In his interview with Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez does not use the word “steroids”. Instead, the substitute terms is “banned substance”. Even as Alex Rodriguez makes the admission, he distances himself from even the word.
• Besides being a highly talented athlete, Alex Rodriguez knows his sport. Some have called him a baseball savant for his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball - its intricacies and its history. In light of that and in light of how meticulous Alex Rodriguez has been about his fitness and his performance, this statement strains credulity:

  “… There’s many things that you can take that are banned substances. I mean, there’s things that have been removed from GNC today that would trigger a positive test.

  I’m not sure exactly what substance I used. But whatever it is, I feel terribly about it.”

  It is difficult to believe that Alex Rodriguez did not know what “substance” he was using and the full impact of that use.

  link: Edited transcript of Alex Rodriguez and Peter Gammons

• And now, there is an attempt to taint the messenger. The original story was written by Selena Roberts and David Epstein for Sports Illustrated. For an article of this magnitude, there must have been detailed fact checking, editing and consultation with the legal department. In an ‘attacking the messenger’ ploy, Alex Rodriguez claims he was stalked by Ms Roberts. Perhaps the end game is to turn Alex Rodriguez into the victim. The problem is that Selena Roberts is a skilled and well respected reporter. Nevertheless, it is an interesting ploy.

No matter what strategy that are being used and will be used, the one fact that is beyond refute is this: Alex Rodriguez cheated.

Catherine Forsythe