"I just think he’s one of the fakest people out there" - Former MLB All-Star Paul Lo Duca once snapped at New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez for cashing in $260 million despite being a PED user

Former MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca once snapped at former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Lo Duca said that Rodriguez has deceived others into thinking highly of him. He called A-Rod “fake” when referring to his PED scandal during an interview with New York radio station WFAN in 2020.

“People know I’m not a fan, and I’m sorry. Never will be a fan. I just think he’s one of the fakest people out there. The way he gets put on a pedestal now is beyond me,” said Lo Duca.

Lo Duca, a four-time All-Star, also spoke about the Mitchell Report, which revealed both men to be users of anabolic steroids in baseball.

“I was in the Mitchell Report, something I’ll never be proud of and something that was a mistake of mine a long time ago. But I owned up to it. I didn’t lie,” Lo Duca said.

Lo Duca’s tweet:

"I took PEDs and I'm not proud of it..but people that think you can take a shot or a pill and play like the legends on that ballot need help." – Paul Lo Duca

Alex Rodriguez’s name appeared in the PED scandal in 2013 when the owner of the Biogenesis of America clinic said he had injected the drugs into A-Rod. Rodriguez repeatedly denied the allegations for a year later before admitting his guilt.

About Alex Rodriguez's PED usage denial, Lo Duca said:

“But when you completely lie about it for years after years after years after years, you cash in 260 million and people are like, ‘Well, he’s successful,’ well, hell yeah, he’s successful. He got paid over 500 million in his career, I would hope he has some money where he could do whatever he wants with it.”

A-Rod was suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Alex Rodriguez and Paul Lo Duca’s doping scandal

Both A-Rod and Lo Duca confessed to consuming banned substances during their MLB careers. In 2007, it was found that Lo Duca used steroids and hormones while playing for the LA Dodgers and the Miami Marlins.

After seven years of alleged PED use, Rodriguez received a year-long suspension in 2014.

"Nine years ago today, Alex Rodriguez was suspended 211 games by MLB for his role in the Biogenesis PED scandal." – FanDuel

The Mitchell Report was published a year after Lo Duca's 11-year MLB career came to an end. A-Rod played eight more seasons in Major League Baseball, finishing with 696 career home runs despite being suspended for the entire 2014 campaign.

In the interview with the New York radio station, Lo Duca also spoke about A-Rod’s volatile friendship with Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

New York Yankees v Kansas City Royals

The Yankees stars played together from 2004-13 and won the 2009 World Series.

“It's pretty well known he and Derek really didn't get along. And he always thought he should be the shortstop, and Derek should have maybe went to third base. And A-Rod did his fake thing of saying, 'Oh, I'll be OK at third base.' And he had his one postseason where he did do well, but his other postseasons weren't that good," stated Lo Duca.

After retiring from MLB, Paul Lo Duca became a horse racing analyst for a TV network while Alex Rodriguez, who played for 22 seasons in baseball, is now the CEO of A-Rod Corp. He also partly owns NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.