Former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says he deserves the punishment meted out by Major League Baseball in the wake of its investigation into the Houston Astros' sign-stealing operation of 2017, but maintains that he wasn't the mastermind.

"Ever since mid-November until the commissioner announced the results of the Red Sox investigation, I have read many things that are true and many others that are not," Cora told ESPN's Marly Rivera. "Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with is people within the Astros' organization singling me out, particularly [since fired general manager] Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind. The commissioner's report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the [Astros players] have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible."

Cora, then the Astros bench coach under AJ Hinch, says everything the Astros did was a team effort.

"If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show," Cora said, referring to himself and Carlos Beltran, who stepped down as New York Mets manager in light of the investigation. "We all did it. And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible."

Cora, suspended for the entirety of the 2020 season as punishment for his involvement, says that he's paying the price for his own guilt, but it should be a burden that others carry, as well.

"Out of respect for the investigation, I decided to stay out of the spotlight," Cora said. Talking about it wasn't going to change anything. I deserve my suspension and I'm paying the price for my actions. And I am not proud of what happened. We made a mistake as a group, the entire [Astros] team. What happened was something that, if you ask anyone involved, no one is proud of it. We're all at fault. Everybody. We're all responsible. Everyone who was part of the team from around mid-May until the end of the season, we are all responsible."

The 44-year-old former infielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland, Red Sox, Mets, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals says he understands why people believe the Astros' win in 2017 was tainted.

"I understand why people think that our championship is not valid, and it's our fault that they think that," Cora said. "I am being honest and I apologize for what happened and for the mistakes we made as a group. I understand why people are disappointed. I am disappointed in myself. At the time, one doesn't think about the consequences. It was something that kept growing and growing, and in the end, it was wrong. We made a mistake and I must pay for the consequences of my actions."

Leaving the Astros after the World Series win, Cora became the Red Sox manager and led the club to a world title in 2018. That season was also investigated by the league for illegal use of replay, but the MLB investigation absolved Cora and the players of guilt, laying it at the feet of replay-room operator J.T. Watkins. Though allowed to return in 2021, Cora says that's not even something on his mind at this time.

"Right now, all I care about is my personal life and my family," Cora said. "This has not been an easy time for us, and it's my fault. Do I want to return the game? Absolutely. That's why I worked so hard for so many years before being named Red Sox manager. But right now, all of that is secondary. My focus is on much more important things."