Alex Rodriguez, one of the most productive players in Major League Baseball's history, just received a historic suspension from the league for his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The 38-year-old New York Yankees third baseman, known to many as "A-Rod," has been banned for the entire 162-game season and post season in 2014, the league announced Saturday. The suspension is the longest-ever handed out by MLB for doping, and it eschews the league's regular 50-game ban for first-time offenders.
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"The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one," Rodriguez said in a statement posted to his official Facebook page.
Rodriguez initially received a 211-game ban on Aug. 5, which would have put him out for the duration of the 2013 season, in addition to 2014. The suspension came because MLB linked Rodriguez and several other prominent players to a Florida clinic called Biogenesis, which reportedly provided the players with human-growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez chose to appeal the suspension, during which time he was able to continue playing. The league decided to wait until after the season to make its final judgement.
Fredric Horowitz, MLB's chief arbitrator, oversaw a three-person panel, which decided to uphold most of the suspension, although Rodriguez maintains that he "did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged." MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred and David Prouty, general council for MLB players' union, also sat on the panel.
As the independent arbitrator, Horowitz is thought to have been responsible for the decision, which Rodriguez called "one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury." MLB defended its arbitration process as "a fair and effective mechanism for resolving disputes and protecting player rights" for the past five decades.
"While we believe the original 211-game suspension was appropriate, we respect the decision rendered by the Panel and will focus on our continuing efforts on eliminating performance-enhancing substances from our game," MLB said in a statement.
Rodriguez, who has recently become known for off-the-field controversy more than great play, has signed the two most lucrative contracts in MLB history. He inked a 10-year deal for $252 million with the Texas Rangers in 2001. The Rangers traded Rodriguez to the Yankees before the 2004 season.
As a member of the Yankees, Rodriguez exercised a clause allowing him to opt out of the remainder of his contract after the 2007 season. The Yankees eventually resigned the slugger to an even larger 10-year deal worth $275 million.
Although he vehemently denies MLB's current allegations, Rodriguez has previously admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Rangers. He defended himself saying it was a "loosey-goosey era," during which many players were doping, and the league wasn't doing much to stop them. Rodriguez says his steroid use ended in 2003.
Currently, Rodriguez's 654 career home runs put him 108 behind the all-time record held by Barry Bonds, another player whose reputation has been ruined because of links to steroid use. Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron's long-held record of 755 career home runs in 2007.
This suspension is a crippling blow to Rodriguez's chances to overtake Bonds' record. Rodriguez has not hit more than 30 home runs in a season since 2008, and he's approaching the age range when even great players usually experience sharp declines in productivity.
"I will continue to work hard to get back on the field, and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship," Rodriguez said.
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Image: Winslow Townson/Getty Images
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