A-Rod Granted Permission To Use Steroids, Says New Book

Permission was given to New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez by Major League Baseball to use performance-enhancing drugs, according to a book to be released Tuesday.

Sports Illustrated says A-Rod received a “therapeutic use exemption” from the MLB to use testosterone, a substance otherwise banned in the major leagues.

The revelation is ahead of the release of a book outlining the alleged use, “Blood Sport: Alex Rodriguez, Biogenesis, and the Quest to End Baseball's Steroid Era.”

Exceptions to the MLB doping policy were granted to two other players, both of whom suffered from “testosterone deficiencies” possibly linked to prior steroid use, The Washington Post reports.

Among the allegations, SI says Rodriguez won his 2007 Yankees World Series MVP award while using anabolic steroids.

Rodriguez tested positive for using steroids in 2003 while playing with the Texas Rangers, but since denied using performance-enhancing drugs since joining the New York Yankees in 2004.

A-Rod is currently serving a 162-game suspension for the entirety of the 2014 MLB season and postseason, the greatest penalty for doping in professional baseball.