A-Rod's High School Coach Talks About Star's Past And Future
PALMETTO BAY (CBS4) – The fate of professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez will be revealed Monday afternoon.
His former high school coach sat down with CBS4's Maggie Newland to talk about Alex Rodriguez before he was a superstar.
Rich Hofman remembered Alex Rodriguez as a fun-loving high school prankster with a serious passion for the game of baseball.
"He had a keen sense of baseball history even when he was 17-years-old and he wanted to be one of the best players to ever play the game," said Hofman.
It was a lofty goal, but Hofman, who coached Rodriguez at Westminster Christian School watched the young man he considered a second son go on to achieve his dreams.
"I've been proud of it, who wouldn't be? He's one of the greatest players I think of all time and his statistics prove it."
Now, allegations about performance enhancing drugs and connections to South Florida's Biogenesis clinic have tarnished A-Rod's reputation.
His former coach, who kept in close touch with his young protégée for several years said he can't help but feel disappointment.
"With your own kids they make mistakes and they hurt, ya know, but if they make mistakes they have to pay the penalties also and hopefully learn from it move on. So do I approve, no, but am I just going to cast him aside and say there's no hope for you , no I'm more concerned for him as a human being than I am as a baseball player."
If the allegations against Rodriguez are true, Hofman believes he should face the same consequences as any other player would, but whatever happens, Hofman hopes some fans out there will remember the Alex Rodriguez he knew
"Usually people remember you by what you did at the end not at the beginning and I'm hoping they'll remember some of the good stuff too because there was a lot of it for a long time."
