Alex Rodriguez turns 39 in July. (Simon Bruty/SI)
(PhatzRadio / SI Wire) — Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for 162 games for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy and interfering with the league’s investigation into the Biogenesis clinic at the heart of the latest performance-enhancing drug scandal to rock the sport.
The ruling, issued by arbitrator Frederic Horowitz, is a reduction from the 211-game suspension Rodriguez was handed by MLB commissioner Bud Selig back in August, but it’s still the longest drug-related suspension in MLB history. For the 38-year-old Rodriguez, it means the loss of an entire season and $25 million in salary. The Yankees will gain $27.5 million worth of salary relief for luxury tax purposes, since the average annual value of his deal is what counts there. That will aid the team’s attempt to get below the $189 million threshold to reset their luxury tax rate, but it leaves a major hole in their lineup.
In a statement, Rodriguez said he would he appeal the ruling in federal court, though the likelihood of a judge overruling the collective bargaining process is believed to be slim.
“The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one,” said Rodriguez. “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 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.”
Rodriguez is a three-time American League MVP who has been with the Yankees since 2004. He has signed the two largest contracts in baseball history, including his current 10-year, $275 million contract with New York that runs through 2017.
Alex Rodriguez’s full statement after being suspended for 162 games
(PhatzRadio / SI Wire) —- Below is the full text of Alex Rodriguez’s statement after arbitrator Frederic Horowitz reduced his suspension from 211 games to 162 games, plus the postseason.
“The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. 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.
“This injustice is MLB’s first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety of defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review. 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. 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.
“No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players’ contracts and rights are protected through the next round of bargaining and that the MLB investigation and arbitration process cannot be used against others in the future the way it is currently being used to unjustly punish me.
“I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. 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.”
MLB: Alex Rodriguez suspended for 162 games is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
