Embattled New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, who has been meeting with officials at MLB headquarters for the last week as his appeal of his unprecedented 211-game ban has begun, is reportedly suing MLB commissioner Bud Selig and MLB for interfering with his business relationships and contracts.
Rodriguez, who was suspended by MLB back on Aug. 5 for his alleged connection to Anthony Bosch and the now defunct Biogenesis clinic in Florida accused of dealing performance enhancing drugs to 14 MLB players, finished out the 2013 regular season with the Yankees despite being banned for the rest of the season and all of the 2014 regular season, because under league rules he was able to play until his appeal could be heard. The Players Association filed a grievance, citing that Rodriguez is a first time offender and the punishment is excessive.
According to ESPN, Rodriguez claims in the lawsuit that the MLB bought the cooperation of the chief witness against him by paying Bosch $5 million to testify against him in order to force him out of the game of baseball.
A-Rod's legal team started to plead his case in front of arbitrator Frederic Horowitz earlier this week, and the process is set to continue in mid-October. Rodriguez received the harshest punishment out of any baseball player to be tied to Biogenesis, as the next person closest to his 211-game ban was Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who was suspended 65 games and took his punishment without an argument.
The 12 other players involved, all received and served 50-game bans dating back to the beginning of August, and Rodriguez was the only player among them to appeal his ban. Now, the controversial third baseman has taken it one-step further by suing Selig.
Horowitz is slated to make a decision on the suspension this winter.
"I'm not going to get into my expectations. I'm fighting for my life, and my whole baseball legacy," Rodriguez said over the weekend before day one of meetings at MLB headquarters in New York started Monday, according to USA Today Sports.
Selig, who announced he will be retiring from his post as commissioner following the 2014 season, said heading into the argument that he thought the punishment was just after the overwhelming evidence that the MLB built up against A-Rod.
"I thought it was eminently fair then, and I think it's eminently fair today," Selig said at the owners' meetings last month per USA Today.
Bosch has been cooperative with the MLB in its efforts to uncover the scandal, and was present for the hearing, but Rodriguez believes the MLB paid him off.
This season, Rodriguez played in 44 games for the Yankees, who failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2008, after recovering from hip surgery and a few setbacks. He hit .244 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. He's appeared in 2,668 MLB games while boasting a career .299 average with 654 homers (fifth all-time) and 1,969 RBIs.
With his latest legal battle with the sport, it remains questionable if A-Rod will ever set foot on the baseball diamond again.
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