A-Rod could be facing a 100-game ban suspension after an ongoing investigation by Major League Baseball into a Miami-area clinic that treated several high-profile athletes.
Investigators have been looking into the now-closed Biogenesis of America, and the clinic’s founder Tony Bosch has reportedly been working with MLB investigators. With the information found in the investigation, MLB will seek to suspend close to 20 players, ESPN reported .
A source close to the investigation said MLB will seek a 100-game ban for A-Rod, Ryan Braun, and other players. League officials are reportedly planning on counting the actual doping as one offense and previous statements to MLB officials denying use of PEDs as a second offense, allowing the league to suspend them 100 games.
Investigators for the league have reportedly had a list of names of Biogenesis clients for months, but needed Bosch to confirm the materials with receipts and phone records. With information from the clinic’s founder the list of players could grow larger still, reports say.
Baseball officials have agreed to drop a lawsuit against Bosch in exchange for his cooperation. The accusations against A-Rod could include paying off Biogenesis to keep his name from being released in the investigation. Sources said A-Rod paid off employees to purchase documents implicating him, though investigators said there has never been any physical evidence tying him to payments.
The PED scandal could also run much deeper than MLB alone. From the Miami New Times , which broke the story: “Then check out the main column, where their real names flash like an all-star roster of professional athletes with Miami ties: San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera , Oakland A’s hurler Bartolo Colón, pro tennis player Wayne Odesnik, budding Cuban superstar boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Texas Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. There’s even the New York Yankees’ $275 million man himself, Alex Rodriguez, who has sworn he stopped juicing a decade ago.”
If it is true that he purchased documents to keep his name from being released, A-Rod could have more than a 100-game suspension. He could also face criminal charges, experts say.