Even after a Major League Baseball arbitrator lowered his suspension from 211 games to 162, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his team of attorneys will file an injunction in federal court with the hopes of stopping the season-long suspension. The suspension -- which will cost the All-Star $25 million in 2014 while putting the 38-year-old’s future playing days in jeopardy if upheld -- is the largest penalty for performance-enhancing drug use in baseball history. Following the ruling by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, the 2009 World Series champion issued a statement showing his displeasure with the decision, noting that once a Federal Judge reviews all the information, he’ll be absolved of any wrongdoing.
“The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one,” Rodriguez said after learning of MLB’s ruling. “This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.
“I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court,” he continued. “I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension.”
Rodriguez and his legal supporters will file an injunction Monday in an attempt to halt the season-long suspension. If upheld, Rodriguez will miss the entire 162-game regular season and any postseason games the New York Yankees enter. News of the injunction comes one day after former Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch stated on CBS television’s "60 Minutes" that he supplied the three-time American League MVP and 14-time All-Star with PED’s while receiving $12,000 per month in cash as compensation.
“Now, all of a sudden, his levels of testosterone are higher,” said in the interview with CBS reporter Scott Pelley regarding the testosterone Rodriguez took on a regular basis. “It gives him … more energy. It gives him more strength. It gives him more focus. And in combination with the growth hormone, that combination would make playing the game of baseball a lot easier.”
Despite the claims made by Bosch, who indicated that Rodriguez would take the testosterone in the form of a "gummy" in order to pass off the ingesting of the supplement as a piece of candy or sunflower seed, Rodriguez says he still plans to attend Yankees Spring Training. If A-Rod does attend the preseason workouts in Tampa, Florida, ESPN reports that New York could relegate him to the team’s minor league facility.
While clearing his name of any wrongdoing is the obvious objective of Alex Rodriguez, the third baseman says he will continue to work at his craft as well, since rejoining his teammates for the 2014 MLB campaign is another major goal.
“I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship,” he said. “I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal.”
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