Trainer: A-Rod 'brainwashed' by Madonna

NEW YORK, July 6 (UPI) -- Pop star Madonna has "brainwashed" New York Yankees star Alex Rodriquez by introducing him to her Kabbalah beliefs, his former trainer says.

Dodd Romero, who also is godfather to Rodriquez's two daughters, said he and the Yankee star's wife Cynthia believe the singer helped ruin the couple's marriage, the New York Post reported Sunday.

"Alex, God bless him, is lost," Romero said Saturday. "I think he got pulled in by the dark side, if you can say that nicely. He's totally brainwashed."

The major league player began spending time with the pop star in November 2007 and has since become immersed in her Kabbalah practices, Romero said.

The former friend of the Yankees standout said Rodriquez then began to spend less time with his family and more time with the "Like a Virgin" singer.

People magazine said such familial concerns come as divorce rumors have also been surrounding Madonna's marriage to director Guy Ritchie.

The celebrity couple was seen attending Kabbalah services in New York Saturday with their children, the magazine said.

Kabbalah adherents follow the mystical aspects of Judaism.