Following the trail blazed by athletes like Michael Strahan, who parlayed a successful NFL career into a thriving run as a news personality, Alex Rodriguez has made a deal with ABC News, Deadline has confirmed.
The former New York Yankees slugger will have a contributor role and appear occasionally on shows like Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
Rodriguez, 41, already appears as a baseball analyst for Fox Sports. The ABC News appearances would expand his scope to include fitness, personal finance and other topics beyond sports.
Rodriguez, who drove many Yankee fans crazy by pocketing $317 million while leading them to just one World Series and admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs, has seen a bounce-back of sorts by appearing on Fox. His post-game jousting with Pete Rose during last October’s climactic World Series win by the Chicago Cubs generated buzz, even among those who had kept him at arm’s length.
He has also been cast in a warmer celebrity light by his romantic relationship with Jennifer Lopez, who has been active on NBC with her two series. The pair appeared at this spring’s media-saturated Met Gala, an ultra-exclusive benefit event in New York.
The New York Post had the first report on the deal.
