Yankees star pitcher CC Sabathia has defended his decision to enter rehab just before this year's playoffs.
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is talking for the first time about his decision to enter rehab for alcoholism just before the playoffs.
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He told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts: “I woke up and said: ‘I need help.’ It was a tough decision because I felt I let my team down.”
Roberts said: “You got a lot of support, but then there are people who said: 'Really, CC now, really.'"
“I understand, you know, that a lot of fans were upset but what they don’t understand is this is a disease, just like if I hurt my back or arm and I need to do this for my family,” the former World Series champion defended himself.
Sabathia said that he realized he had an alcohol problem in 2012.
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“I would battle it without any help,” he said. “I would go two or three months at a time sober and I would relapse. I would have weekends when I thought nobody was paying attention, get into the hotel room and drink the hotel mini bar of pretty much everything.”
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