"Kept using excuse of naivete, curiosity and being young" - Flashback to 2009 when former All-Star Barry Larkin called out Alex Rodriguez for attempting to cover up his illegal steroid usage

Hall of Famer Barry Larkin once called out former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez for trying to cover his tracks in the aftermath of his steroid scandal.

In an interview in February 2009, Larkin claimed that A-Rod used the excuse of being "young and naive" to break the law.

He said:

"He kept using the excuse of naïveté and curiosity and being young, and I believe that to an extent. But that’s not answering the question... You’re a high-level athlete, you should know, you’re putting something in your body, you should know what it is.”

The 47-year-old admitted to using PEDs in 2009. He confessed that he had taken banned substances during his stint with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003. Numerous reports suggested that Rodriguez had failed an anonymous survey test in 2003 and was heavily linked to the infamous Biogenesis scandal.

As a result, Rodriguez, along with 12 other players in the MLB, was banned for 211 games. The ban was reduced to 162 games after an appeal, but the Yankees star was forced to miss the entire 2014 season.

He returned to the team in 2015 after serving his suspension, before announcing his retirement a year later.

Alex Rodriguez said steroid scandal reason is the reason he's not in the Hall of Fame

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game One

Alex Rodriguez appeared on ESPN after the San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was handed an 80-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs. In the interview, A-Rod blamed himself for not making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame despite a glittering career in the MLB.

He said:

“I'm not going to go to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake. And that's heartbreaking for me... I wish that a lot of these young players who I admire so much would learn from my stupidity and my debacle. And it almost brings me to tears to see a kid like Tatis who's 23 years old, that for the rest of his career, he's just going to play it out."

Alex Rodriguez spent nearly two decades in the MLB

Nelson Cruz, Everth Cabrera, Johnny Peralta, Gio González, Melky Cabrera, and Ryan Braun were all handed suspensions along with Rodriguez after the scandal.