MLB Will Suspend Alex Rodriguez For Life [Report]
The MLB is preparing to level a lifetime suspension on Alex Rodriguez, according to reports circulating on Wednesday. Along with A-Rod’s lifetime ban, the league is expected to suspend eight other players before the weekend.
The report comes by way of USA Today Sports, which spoke to two people with knowledge of the situation. However, no announcement is expected on the ban until Thursday or Friday.
A possible MLB ban will likely lead to a showdown between the league and Rodriguez, who has promised to appeal any suspension, no matter how severe it is.
Commissioner Bud Selig is expected to announce the suspensions before the weekend. While the other eight players are expected to get 50-game bans, the punishment against A-Rod will be more severe.
Former Commissioner Fay Vincent commented on the potential lifetime ban, saying, “I hope [Selig] does it. It’s right for baseball. The harder he comes down, the better it is for baseball.”
As many as 20 players have been linked to Biogenesis, a clinic that allegedly provided them with performance-enhancing drugs. But the charges against Alex Rodriguez are much worse.
Along with using PEDs, the Yankees third baseman has been accused of intimidating witnesses, coercing other players, and trying to purchase incriminating documents to keep them out of the hands of the MLB.
CBS News notes that A-Rod is currently recovering from an injury that has kept him off the field all season. A MLB team executive spoke with the organization on Tuesday, saying that they are considering suspending Rodriguez for using PEDs, as well as violating the league’s “integrity of the game” policy.
The second violation is the one that carries a lifetime ban. ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn commented, “It is believed by baseball, at least, that he actively obstructed this investigation. They have looked into the charges… If they got the evidence to back that up, that adds a whole other element to this case.”
Despite the potential lifetime ban, Alex Rodriguez expressed hope that the situation isn’t as bad as it seems. He commented in an interview on Wednesday, “I’m not giving up. I have tremendous faith, and hopefully there’s a couple more chapters to this book, and hopefully there’s a happy ending somewhere.”
Do you think Alex Rodriguez should be banned from the MLB for life?
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