Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball have a complicated past. One of the game’s golden boys, A-Rod took the baseball world by storm when he debuted. With a reputation as a hotheaded player who knew exactly what he was doing on the diamond, he was one of the best. Easily a legend in the making, a mistake from his past came to haunt him in 2009 and turned the tables on his future legacy. When news of his PED usage broke out, A-Rod turned from a revered ballplayer to an MLB villain.

Nine years after his infamous suspension, the former Yankee’s reputation is still not what it used to be. Baseball is one of the oldest games in the country, so its fans are equally diligent. They don’t forgive or forget, and A-Rod certainly got the cold shoulder for years afterward. Today, he’s a successful businessman after retiring in 2016 but it was not an easy road. The ex-shortstop once opened up about what helped him get through that difficult time.

Some people turn to God, Alex Rodriguez found therapy

Every individual has their own coping mechanisms that they use to get through hard times. Therapy is something that has gotten popular over the years, and A-Rod chose it too. It was an effort to get down to the root of his problem. Therapy is essentially a way to rewire your brain, and the former Yankee apparently felt like he desperately needed that.

Discussing his suspension, Rodriguez talked to former NHL player Henrik Lundqvist on his podcast, Club30. “That’s where my journey with therapy started and I turned the lens inward. And I had a lot of work to do. And sometimes, you get a house – I’m in real estate – you can buy something, put paint, windows. You can fix it up but this time I had to tear the whole house down. And start with one brick at a time.”

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When the whole world seemed against him, he decided to take his own side.

It took some time for A-Rod to accept the steroid use as his own fault

After coming back from his year-long suspension, Rodriguez became outspoken about admitting his mistakes. He even started encouraging others to learn from them. But it took some time and serious soul-searching to get there.

Some years ago, A-Rod spoke to The New York Times about the aftermath of having to sit out the 2014 baseball season. “Well, when the suspension first happened, I was pissed off at everyone. I was blaming everyone. It wasn’t until I got deeper into it that I said: ‘No, it’s not their fault. It’s your fault,'” he said, before recalling that therapy was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

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But the former Yankee came back strong and gave two more seasons to his beloved franchise.