In the wake of the news that Alex Rodriguez used anabolic steroids in 2003, one of the reporters who broke the story, Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts, has been making the rounds.
Roberts sat down for a lengthy interview with MLB Network’s Bob Costas earlier this afternoon. Among other things, Roberts told Costas that she uncovered the story while working on a profile of Rodriguez. It should be pointed out that Roberts is working on a book called “Hit and Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez” that will be released in May.
Also in the Costas interview, Roberts says “she gave A-Rod every opportunity to refute the story and traveled to Miami to talk with him in person on Thursday,” and that “there are no other names of players in” an upcoming Sports Illustrated piece on the story. Roberts also declined to reveal her sources. When asked by Costas if she thought that those sources may have an agenda or an axe to grind, Roberts said she “was not aware of any.”
During the interview, it was stressed that there was no indication that Rodriguez had used steroids either before or after 2003. During the course of MLB Network’s coverage, Costas and several others on the MLB Network panel seemed befuddled as to why the positive test, which was supposed to remain confidential, was leaked. Costas in particular asked if Rodriguez rights as “an American citizen” had been violated, and wondered if the MLBPA’s failure to dispose of the positive tests was an example of “dereliction of duty.” Costas called the failure to destroy the results akin to “Nixon not destroying the tapes.”
In addition to the Costas interview, Roberts appeared on CNN later in the afternoon for a brief interview with anchor Fredricka Whitfield. CNN and Sports Illustrated are both Time Warner properties.
