Jose Canseco claimed Pepsi Cola deal went south because they avoided association with steroid users: "They wanted to clean everything"

Anyone with even a fleeting knowledge of 1980s sports knows Jose Canseco. The hunk came to epitomize peak physical condition, and his results on the field demonstrated as much.

Born in Cuba but raised in Florida, Canseco was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1985. After being named the best player in MiLB in 1985, he was promoted to the bigs in 1986. That year, the outfielder hit .240/.318/.457 with 33 home runs and 117 RBIs, cruising to a first-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1988, his 42 home runs and 124 RBIs led MLB in both categories, and led to Canseco being given MVP honors that year. In 1990, his five-year, $23.5 million deal made him the first-ever baseball player to net $5 million per annum.

"Jose Canseco became baseball's only 40/40/40 man in 1988 when he cranked 40 homers, stole 40 bases, and his nuts shrank to 40% their normal size." - Super 70s Sports

At that time, steroid use was far less common and talked-about than it is today, but rumors nonetheless began to circulate. A skinny kid during his days at his Florida high school, we now know that performance-enhancing drugs played a major role in Jose Canseco's meteoric rise with the Oakland Athletics.

Despite all evidence pointing in that direction, Jose Canseco vehemently denied any allegations that he was using steroids. In 1989, he claimed that rumors that he was juicing cost him "close to a million dollars" in sponsorship deals. According to the 6-foot-4 slugger, Pepsi Cola were among the most high-profile companies to back out.

As per Canseco, Pepsi was not interested in using his marred name because "they wanted to clean everything."

Although Canseco denied his use during the 1980s and 1990s, he eventually came clean about his PED use. His 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big was a tell-all indictment of several fellow players, including A's teammate Mark McGwire.

Jose Canseco's PED use would never be tolerated in today's MLB

After his career ended, Canseco admitted that the only season that he did not use steroids was as a member of the 1998 Toronto Blue Jays. Although he was awarded a Silver Slugger that year, he also suspiciously led MLB in strikeouts.

While Jose Canseco was indeed a man of great athletic prowess, his almost cartoonish appearance was an obvious result of steroid use. Thankfully, the league has smartened up, and a player like Canseco would never be allowed to carry on as he did in today's game.