"I was broken, dead, tapping out, thinking crazy things” - When Alex Rodriguez couldn't bear watching New York Yankees play without him in 2014 amid PED suspension

Alex Rodriguez faced a torrid time when he was suspended from the MLB after his illegal use of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs).

In 2014, the former Yankee tried everything in his capacity to escape the ban. However, all of his efforts were in vain as he missed 211 regular-season games, plus additional post-season games.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2019, Alex Rodriguez described the feeling of watching the Yankees from the sidelines. He said:

“I was sitting there crying. It was torture. It was like being a masochist. I was broken, dead, tapping out, thinking crazy things."

At that time, he decided to drop his lawsuits against baseball. He went on to accept his penalty, but he had no idea what it would be.

Alongside Alex Rodriguez were 13 other players who were involved in the biogenesis scandal. Rodriguez later filed an appeal and was allowed to play while under investigation. In the end, his ban was effectively reduced to 162 games.

In 2015, A-Rod returned to action, making a dominant comeback with 33 home runs in the season. However, he shocked the world a year later by announcing his retirement. After retiring, he went on to become the chairman and CEO of A-Rod Corp., his investing company.

Alex Rodriguez believes his suspension was a blessing in disguise

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Alex Rodriguez opened up on the infamous suspension in 2019 at the Inc. 5000 Conference. The 47-year old talked about how the incident changed him and helped make him a better person. He said:

"One of the best things that happened to me was my suspension in 2014. I had to make a paradigm shift. I really had to understand why I would self-implode with no reasons. I served the longest suspension in Major League Baseball history," he said as reported by "Page Six."

Rodriguez revealed that the suspension affected him in many ways, including financially. He stated that his suspension cost him north of $45 million.

The biogenesis scandal took the league by storm, with some of the biggest names of the sport being caught up in the controversy.

Rodriguez retired in 2016 after making his debut in the MLB back in 1994

A-Rod, however, managed to turn his life around. He has become one of the biggest businessmen in the sports world. After a failed bid to buy the New York Mets in 2020, he went on to secure the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. Rodriguez is rumored to have a net worth north of $350 million.