Manny Ramirez: Getting busted for PEDs ‘made me grow up'

Share

Manny Ramirez's use of performance-enhancing drugs during his career may have cost him a shot at a Hall of Fame induction, but he doesn't have any regrets.

The former Boston Red Sox slugger opened up about his two failed PED tests during the 18th annual Tradition at TD Garden. He believes his mistakes helped him grow as a person.

"I ask myself ... it was a good thing for me, because it make me grow up," Ramirez said. "Maybe a lot of people didn't get caught, and they doing maybe so many crazy stuff that they not learning from it. So I think everything happens for a reason, and everything is working for the good.

"I'm in a better place that I haven't been, even when I was playing, so I don't regret it because it make me grow up."

Watch the video below, courtesy of WFXT's Tom Leyden:

As for other players who have been caught or suspected of using PEDs, Ramirez still believes one day they'll make their way into the Hall. The 47-year-old likens the situation to that of Pete Rose, who currently is ineligible for Cooperstown due to his ban from the league in 1986.

"It's the same thing, like, with Pete Rose. That's it. Let the guy get in. That's it," Ramirez said. "Everybody makes mistakes. I make mistakes every day. Everybody make it. But we gotta keep moving, so what else can you do?"

Ramirez is one of several former Red Sox to be on the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. The others are Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, Billy Wagner, Carlos Pena, and Brad Penny.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

Contact Us