Ortiz Explains Banned Trainer Relationship

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Ortiz talked for approximately five minutes this morning about his relationship with controversial trainer Angel Presinal, who has been banned from major league clubhouses since 2002 because of his links to steroids. Presinal's name surfaced Friday in a report in the New York Daily News linking him to Alex Rodriguez. But Presinal, from the Dominican Republic, has also worked with Dominican stars such as Ortiz.

Ortiz said Saturday that he trains at a facility "five minutes" from his Dominican home that Presinal works at, but that he was never approached by Presinal about using steroids.

"Pretty much everybody, that's where they go because it's like in the center of the city, right in the middle where everybody lives," Ortiz said. "It's like an Olympic place where everybody goes and does his workout, hitting, running, and all this stuff. That's where we work out at. It's not his. He knows how to train people and teach how to do exercises and things like that. But, like I said, you are the owner of your own decisions. It's sad that he's involved in things like this, but you've got to be careful. That's what I got to say.

"I've known him for a long time," Ortiz said. "He [doesn't] just teach baseball players. He's got guys that run marathons, volleyball players, basketball players, everybody down there. He's been doing that for years. All I know is we all work with him as a group of guys that want to be ready in spring training and that's about it."

Ortiz said he tries to be careful about who he associates with, especially in light of concerns about steroids. But he has no problem being associated with Presinal.

"I don't care what people say," Ortiz said. "It's the way you show yourself out there. That's what I think it is. But definitely you've got to be careful with anybody that is involved in any kind of stuff like whatever is going on right now. I don't have that problem. I'm pretty much always with my family. I'm not the kind of person that creates a relationship with strangers."