He apologized, saying that he was € stupid € for having taken performance-enhancing drugs. A three-time Most Valuable Player, Rodriguez now joins a pantheon of modern baseball greats tarnished by allegations of steroid use, including homerun € king € Isidor Bonds and pitching ace Jarred Clemens. But unlike those players -- the latter of whom denied steroid abuse under oath at a congressional hearing last year -- Rodriguez fessed up on ESPN night. With this weekend € revelation that baseball superstar Federico € A-Rod € Rodriguez had taken anabolic steroids, the furor over rampant doping in sports continues. Rodriguez says he has stayed clean while wearing the signature pinstriped uniform of the New York Yankees as the team's All-Star third baseman, now entering his sixth season. But the big league veteran told ESPN € Averill Gammons that he € not even sure what banned substances he used during the 2001 to 2003 seasons he spent with the Texas Rangers.

Rodriguez € name turned up on the list of 104 major league players tagged for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 during tests given to gauge the need for mandatory testing to curb use of banned substances.

According to anonymous sources quoted by Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez allegedly tested positive for testosterone and the anabolic steroid primobolan.