Washington - Alex Rodriguez, arguably the greatest US baseball player of his generation and an icon of the sport, admitted Monday to taking performance-enhancing drugs for three years while playing for the Texas Rangers.

The shocking and frank confession came in an interview with US sports network ESPN that aired late Monday. Rodriguez, also known as A-Rod, said he started using steroids in 2001 after signing a 252- million-dollar contract with Texas, which at the time was the most expensive in baseball history.

"I was stupid for three years. I was very, very stupid," said Rodriguez, his voice unsteady at times.

Rodriguez, 33, left the Texas Rangers in 2004 to join the New York Yankees and said he had been "clean" since making the move. A-Rod signed another record 10-year, 275-million-dollar contract with the Yankees last year. He plays third base for the team.

"I am sorry for my Texas years. I apologize to the fans of Texas," he told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

Until 2004, there were no penalties in baseball for taking performance-enhancing drugs, but the admission will no doubt taint Rodriguez' already illustrious career. A-Rod is currently on track to break the all-time record for home runs.

President Barack Obama, talking to reporters Monday night, weighed in on the scandal, saying the revelation added to the already tarnished reputation of the sport during the so-called steroid era.

"It's depressing news on top of what's been a flurry of depressing items when it comes to Major League Baseball," Obama said during his first press conference since taking office January 20.

The home-run record is currently held by Barry Bonds, who himself was embroiled in a steroid scandal that has marred his place in the record books. Before this confession, many in the sport had counted on Rodriguez breaking that record in order to help restore baseball's reputation.

Steroid use has dogged baseball for a decade, and a number of the sport's all-time greats have become implicated in the scandal, including Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi and Jose Canseco.

A-Rod's own confession was brought on after US magazine Sports Illustrated reported over the weekend that Rodriguez was one of 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003, when the league conducted a series of then-anonymous tests to investigate the prevalence of steroids in the sport.

Rodriguez said there was a "different culture" in baseball before penalties and random testing for banned substances was introduced in 2004. A-Rod said he felt "an enormous amount of pressure to perform" after signing the record contract with Texas in 2001.

"I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time," Rodriguez said.