Ex-Wife Tells Magazine A-Rod Is 'Immature, Not Insincere'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- While Alex Rodriguez awaits an arbitrator's ruling in his 211-game steroid suspension, his ex-wife has spoken out about the man behind the scandal.
As CSB 2's Otis Livingston reported, Cynthia Rodriguez divorced her husband in 2008 following reports of his affair of Madonna, accusing Alex Rodriguez of extramarital affairs and emotional abandonment of their children. But in the wake of the steroid scandal, she is now voicing support for his character.
She was quoted in an article titled, "A-Rod Isn't Looking for Sympathy" in the latest addition of New York Magazine.
Speaking two weeks ago to WFAN host Mike Francesa, Alex Rodriguez vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the case, including saying that he hasn't used performance-enhancing drugs at all since 2003.
He denied having leaked documents about Ryan Braun to Yahoo! Sports, calling that accusation by Major League Baseball "laughable" and "disgusting."
He also denied any obstruction of justice during the course of the case, one of the several reasons given by MLB to give Rodriguez the biggest drug-related suspension of all-time.
But Cynthia Rodriguez said ultimately, her ex-husband's sincerity is not the real issue.
"He's trying to say the right thing, trying to fit in," she told New York Magazine. "I would say immature, not insincere."
The report of the affair with Madonna was just one in a string of incidents that went down as Alex Rodriguez giving himself bad publicity. A candid topless photo in Central Park, and a shot of Cameron Diaz feeding him popcorn during the Super Bowl, were among the revelations that followed.
Cynthia had a take on her husband's psyche in the magazine interview.
"I used to say to Alex, 'Don't you just know what to do? Don't you just have that voice in your head that tells you?' He said, 'No. I don't,'" she said. "I think, looking back, he was probably uncomfortable with his place in the world."
Cynthia Rodriguez earned a master's degree in psychology, and believes a major factor in Alex being Alex was the absence of a father figure after age 10.
CBS 2 spoke with sports psychologist Dr. Leah Lagos for some analysis on Cynthia Rodriguez's comments.
"Cynthia provided a very objective analysis where she took A-Rod off the pedestal of idolatry, and also said he's not an evil-spirited person either. She put him in the domain of being a human and an individual with imperfections," Lagos said. "Her comment really strikes a chord from the heart. This is someone who is lacking something from a personality statement, and needs to work through that through therapy."
Alex Rodriguez actually wanted his ex-wife to talk to the magazine, saying: "You're going to love her. She's an amazing lady. I love her to pieces, and she's one of my best friends."
Alex Rodriguez's arbitration hearing on his suspension ended late last month when both sides rested their cases. The sides set a schedule to file briefs and reply briefs next month, which will close the record and submit the matter to arbitrator Fredric Horowitz.
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