Attorneys for Alex Rodriguez may not wait until Sept. 30 to begin their defense of him stemming from the historic 211-game performance enhancing drug suspension.
Rodriguez has continued to take the field for the Yankees on appeal since being hit with the ban earlier this summer, and the New York Daily News is now reporting his team of high-priced lawyers are contemplating filing a federal suit fundamentally challenging Major League Baseball's disciplinary policies before arbitrator Fredric Horowitz can even render a ruling in the case.
According to the newspaper, MLB officials believe they have uncovered what's described as a "mountain of evidence" tying Rodriguez to PEDs and Biogenesis, the South Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of baseball's latest doping scandal.
Sources tell The News Rodriguez and his attorneys plan to counter those allegations by arguing MLB and the Yankees have conspired to try and exile Rodriguez, paving the way for the team to seek to void the remainder of his massive contract.
"A lawsuit would be difficult, but there are ways to get to court," Robert Boland, a former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and sports agent who is now the academic chairman for New York University's Tisch Center for Sports Management, told The News. "A lawsuit might be a way to change the dynamics of the case. It might lead to a more favorable settlement."
The News adds that attorneys for Rodriguez also believe MLB officials defamed their client by constantly leaking information about the investigation to the media.
While conceding that winning such a suit might be a longshot, Boland still sees the merit of it.
"Vilma got a better deal as a result," he told The News of the suit filed by NFL star Jonathan Vilma against the league stemming from his suspension related to the BountyGate scandal.
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