Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corralesis a retired Cuban American Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. He played for the Cubs, Texas Rangers, and the Baltimore Orioles. He was named to the MLB All-Star Team four times, and won the Gold Glove three times. He is a member of the 500 home run club and the 3,000 hit club and is one of only...
NationalityCuban
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth24 September 1964
CountryCuba
Nobody is more frustrated and disappointed in me than I am. Throughout my adult life, I have worked very hard on and off the field to live my life in an honorable way. All my accomplishments are now tainted, and many people have been hurt,
Obviously, I would love to play and come back and finish and hopefully prove to everyone I can still play at a high level, that I can still be productive and do it the right way, which I've always done, ... I am not going to shy away from what happened to me. I am going to face it. Hopefully, I can explain myself one day, and whether people believe me or not, I can't control that.
With all the great products that are apparently out there that are undetectable, for me to take something like that... when people take things that now aren't even being tested for, does it make any sense?
I hope that people look at my whole career and appreciate that I've given everything that I've got.
I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me.
I'm not 100 percent, but I feel good enough to go out there and play and be productive,
I'm not sure. I did not set it up. I have never done a polygraph test in my life. I didn't know what to expect. I was just there to answer the questions that they put in front of me.
I'm not sure. I did not set it up.
I'm not exactly sure how it got into my body, ... I suspected it was the B-12.
I knew about him from college. I knew he'd be a good pitcher. He's going to be a dominant guy in this game.
I have never used steroids. Period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that.
I'll be back. I am not sure how long, but I'll be back.
Oh, man, I'm looking forward to those things. I'm looking forward to days where I can do things that I've been wanting to do that happen in the summertime. Be with my family and kids in the summer. Vacations. All that stuff, before my kids go off to college.
I want to express my gratitude to the committee for the fairness and professionalism with which they conducted their business. I have never intentionally taken steroids and I strongly oppose the illegal use of steroids by athletes or anyone else.