David Ortiz has made a career blasting baseballs a long way in the batter's box. Thursday, he came out and blasted any link he has to performance-enhancing-drugs, peeling back the curtain on MLB's testing process and what it has been like to live under suspicion for all these years.
In a lengthy, at times profane, essay published on the Players Tribune, Ortiz, 39, says he's been tested more than 80 times since 2004, hasn't failed one, and had sharp words for those still out there who doubt that he has played clean and doesn't deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame.
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It all goes back to 2009 when it was reported that he had failed a PED test in 2003:
"Some people still look at me like I’m a cheater because my name was on a list of players who got flagged for PEDs in 2003. Let me tell you something about that test. Most guys were taking over-the-counter supplements then. Now all of a sudden MLB comes out and says there’s some ingredient in GNC pills that have a form of steroid in them. I don’t know anything about it. To this day, nobody has any answers for me. Nobody can tell me what I supposedly tested positive for. They say they legally can’t, because the tests were never supposed to be public. "
This isn't the first time Ortiz has come out and defended himself, though this is by far the strongest. He seemed particularly irked by a Boston columnist's accusation that he fit the profile of a PED user and also annoyed by the frequency at which he's tested. "Nobody in MLB history has been tested for PEDs more than me," said Ortiz.
The reaction to the Red Sox slugger's story has been strong on both sides. It's a raw first-person read that's worth your time, so check it out.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
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