Alex Rodriguez took the money, took the banned drugs and on Monday he took his place in the Hall of Shame when Major League Baseball suspended him for 211 games.
MLB said the penalty — the toughest baseball has imposed on a player since the aftermath of the 1919 Black Sox scandal — was based on Rodriguez’s “use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years.”
Commissioner Bud Selig also dropped the hammer on A-Rod for attempting to obstruct MLB’s yearlong investigation into Biogenesis, the now-defunct South Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to the Yankees’ embattled superstar and other athletes.
Rodriguez, a three-time Most Valuable Player and 14-time All-Star, immediately vowed to fight the unprecedented suspension, which is scheduled to go into effect on Thursday.
The punishment came as Rodriguez rejoined the Yankees in Chicago, making his season debut against the White Sox, going 1-for-4 at the plate.
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Windy City fans greeted A-Rod — who underwent hip surgery in the offseason after a miserable playoff performance in 2012 — with nasty signs, a cascade of boos and chants of “A–! HOLE!”
Alex Rodriguez calls the Biogenesis investigation and subsequent suspension a ‘nightmare’ and ‘probably the worst time of my life.’
He led off the second inning with a bloop single to left. He then flied out twice — showing a little warning-track power in the process — and struck out looking at a welcome-back-to-the-bigs breaking ball in the eighth, delighting the crowd.
Rodriguez can still flash the leather, scooping up all three balls hit to the hot corner and tossing out the runners.
His pregame press conference was nowhere near as smooth as his glove.
“The last seven months have been a nightmare,” the steroid-stained slugger told reporters before the game. “Probably the worst time of my life.”
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Rodriguez refused to answer when asked if he had used banned drugs obtained from the seedy Coral Gables anti-aging clinic. Instead, he told reporters there will be a time and a place to answer questions about PEDs.
Lots of Yankees fans want A-Rod banned.
Scott Eisen/AP
A-Rod leaves the Trump International Hotel in Chicago after MLB announces 211-game ban.
“It should be life,” die-hard Bombers backer Efrain Carrion, 41, of Elmhurst, Queens, said outside the Yankees Clubhouse store in Times Square.
Fatih Ucan, an 18-year-old fan from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, said it was “shocking” to hear that A-Rod had rejoined the Yanks on Monday.
“It’s pretty absurd he’s using steroids again,” Ucan said. “I can’t believe they even let him back in to begin with. It’s shocking to hear.”
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The Players Association made feeble gestures as late as Monday to broker a settlement between MLB and A-Rod’s advisers that would have resulted in a lesser penalty if Rodriguez agreed not to fight it.
But the flickering chances of a deal were extinguished Friday, sources said, when Rodriguez suggested during a news conference in Trenton that MLB and the Yankees were conspiring to keep him off the field in order to void his massive contract.
“I’m fighting for my life,” Rodriguez said in his Monday press conference. “If I don’t defend myself, no one will.”
Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
The defunct Biogenesis clinic is where A-Rod procured performance-enhancing substances.
He seemed to acknowledge that his teammates and the Yankees’ front office are tired of the constant controversy that seems to surround him. But he said he would make it up with his play on the field. “If I’m productive,” he said, “I think they want me back.”
The historic suspension is sure to ignite a fierce battle between MLB, the Players Association and Rodriguez’s attorneys, who suggested that the controversial third baseman might even take the battle to federal court.
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“It is regrettable that the commissioner’s office has taken this unprecedented action,” said Rodriguez’s attorney, David Cornwell, after MLB announced the suspensions at about 3 p.m. “Major League Baseball has gone well beyond the authority granted to its Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement. Consequently, we will appeal the discipline and pursue all legal remedies available to Alex.”
The Yankees fired back with a statement denying Rodriguez’s allegations that they were trying to dodge paying the $100 million that remains on A-Rod’s $275 million contract, or that they have botched his medical care.
“The New York Yankees in no way instituted and/or assisted MLB in the direction of this investigation; or used the investigation as an attempt to avoid its responsibilities under a player contract; or did its medical staff fail to provide the appropriate standard of care to Alex Rodriguez,” the team said.
Baseball’s union, meanwhile, indicated that it would back Rodriguez in the arbitration case.
Howard Simmons/New York Daily News
Alex Rodriguez is in the Yankees’ lineup Monday night in Chicago after playing rehab games in Trenton last weekend.
“We believe that the commissioner has not acted appropriately under the Basic Agreement,” said Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner. “Mr. Rodriguez knows that the union, consistent with its history, will defend his rights vigorously.”
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The Taylor Hooton Foundation, a Texas-based anti-steroid nonprofit established to discourage young athletes from juicing, quickly cut ties with Rodriguez. He was scheduled to host a fund-raiser at Yankee Stadium on Sunday but was benched earlier this season when it became clear that he would be disciplined for banned drug use.
Two other MLB A-listers — Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz and Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta — received 50-game bans for their role in the Biogenesis scandal. Ten other players — including Jordany Valdespin and Cesar Puello of the Mets, and the Yankees’ Fernando Martinez and Francisco Cervelli — also were hit with 50 games. Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun agreed to a 65-game suspension two weeks ago.
If Rodriguez’s suspension is upheld, the 38-year-old third baseman will be nearly 40 by 2015, when he is allowed back on the field. The Yankees still owe him about $100 million on a contract that doesn’t expire for 41/2 more seasons. If the penalty is upheld, his lost pay ranges from $30.6 million to $32.7 million.
The suspension, based on nonanalytical evidence — Rodriguez has not failed a drug test since baseball’s 2003 survey testing year — rests partially on the penalties for at least three failed drug tests plus the additional charges.
“This case resoundingly illustrates that the strength of our program is not limited only to testing,” Selig said. “We continue to attack this issue on every front — from science and research, to education and awareness, to fact-finding and investigative skills.”
Paul Sancya/AP
Commissioner Bug Selig says MLB conducted a ‘thorough, aggressive investigation guided by facts.’
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Sources said baseball investigators gathered huge amounts of evidence connecting Rodriguez to performance-enhancing drugs in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The defunct clinic is where Rodriguez procured performance-enhancing substances, and it was Anthony Bosch’s detailed descriptions of drug use, injections gone awry, email and text correspondence and records of payments for drugs that helped baseball investigators nail A-Rod, the sources said.
MLB’s investigation began last year, when the Daily News first reported that Melky Cabrera had created a fictitious website for a supplement he claimed had caused him to test positive for elevated levels of synthetic testosterone. Cabrera, who was suspended for 50 games, was assisted by Juan Carlos Nunez, a Bosch associate who worked with Cabrera’s agents, Sam and Seth Levinson.
According to a baseball source, MLB is continuing to investigate the role agents may have played in steering players to Biogenesis.
The News first reported in January that MLB was investigating Bosch and his association with Rodriguez.
The Biogenesis investigation represents an unprecedented step by Selig, who ordered his executive vice president for economics and league affairs, Rob Manfred, to spare no expense in identifying and punishing drug cheats.
– With Ryan Sit
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Eight of the players suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday issued statements on through attorneys Jay Reisinger, Thomas Farrell and Tina Miller of Farrell & Reisinger, a Pittsburgh law firm.
Texas Rangers’ Nelson Cruz: I have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. From November, 2011 to January, 2012, I was seriously ill with a gastrointestinal infection, helicobacter pylori, which went undiagnosed for over a month. By the time I was properly diagnosed and treated, I had lost 40 pounds. Just weeks before I was to report to spring training in 2012, I was unsure whether I would be physically able to play. Faced with this situation, I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret, and I accept full responsibility for that error. I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse. I am thankful for the unwavering support of my family, friends and teammates during this difficult time. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Rangers organization, my teammates, and the great Rangers’ fans, and I am grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the team for the playoffs.
Yankees’ Fernando Martinez: I have been notified by Major League Baseball that I am to be suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I accept this suspension and will not exercise my right under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made a serious mistake during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for this mistake. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Yankees’ organization, their fans and most importantly, my family. I am hopeful that I can make significant contributions to the Yankees in 2014.
Mets’ Jordany Valdespin: I have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made certain errors in judgment during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those errors. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Mets’ organization, Mets’ fans and my family, and look forward to contributing to the Mets in 2014.
Mets’ Cesar Puello: Today, I was notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. Out of respect for the Mets’ organization, my teammates, and my family, I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made certain mistakes during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those mistakes. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Mets’ organization, Mets’ fans and my family, and ultimately helping the club win a championship.
Jay K.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Antonio Bastardo: Today, I was notified by Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have decided to accept this suspension and will not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made significant errors in judgment during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those errors. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Phillies’ organization, Phillies’ fans and my family, and look forward to helping the Phillies win a championship in 2014.
San Diego Padres’ Fautino de los Santos: I was notified by Major League Baseball that I am to be suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I willingly accept this suspension and will not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made certain unsound decisions during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those decisions. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Padres’ organization, their fans and most importantly, my family. I look forward to helping the San Diego Padres in 2014.
Seattle Mariners’ Jesus Montero: I have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made certain mistakes during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those mistakes. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Mariners’ organization, Mariners’ fans and my family. I look forward to making significant contributions to the Mariners in 2014.
Houston Astros’ Sergio Escalona: I was notified by Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I will accept this suspension and not exercise my right under the Basic Agreement to appeal. I made errors in judgment during the 2012 season and I accept full responsibility for those errors. I will make every attempt to regain the trust and respect of the Astros’ organization, their fans and most importantly, my family. I am hopeful that I can make significant contributions to the Astros in the 2014 season.
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