Ex-Met Rips A-Rod For Lawsuit Against Players' Union
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A lawyer representing Alex Rodriguez says some players are "up in arms" over a "60 Minutes" segment that detailed Major League Baseball's case against the New York Yankees third baseman.
Well, A-Rod may have just thrown those allies out the window -- or under the bus.
Rodriguez sued MLB and his own union on Monday in an attempt to overturn a full-season suspension related to the league's investigation into Biogenesis and performance-enhancing drugs.
Former Mets reliever Jon Rauch ripped A-Rod on Twitter, saying the 14-time All-Star has run out of people to blame.
In the lawsuit, A-Rod claimed the Major League Baseball Players Association "engaged in numerous acts that were arbitrary, capricious, and taken in bad faith." He also said the union's representation during his appeal hearing was "perfunctory at best."
A more formal response came from MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, who said the A-Rod charges were "completely without merit."
"The Players Association has vigorously defended Mr. Rodriguez's rights throughout the Biogenesis investigation, and indeed throughout his career," Clark said in a statement. "Mr. Rodriguez's allegation that the Association has failed to fairly represent him is outrageous, and his gratuitous attacks on our former executive director, Michael Weiner, are inexcusable. When all is said and done, I am confident the Players Association will prevail."
Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz ruled over the weekend to reduce A-Rod's original 211-game ban to 162 games, plus the entire 2014 postseason. His entire written decision was made public Monday when Rodriguez's lawyers filed the lawsuit.
Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch said during a "60 Minutes" interview that he administered an intricate $12,000-per-month doping protocol for Rodriguez beginning in 2010, including testosterone lozenges nicknamed "gummies" that were sometimes taken prior to games. A-Rod's lawyer Joe Tacopina, who appeared in the segment, said on WFAN radio Monday that some players and agents were upset with baseball over the "charade" that aired Sunday on CBS.
Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB COO Rob Manfred also spoke to "60 Minutes."
Rodriguez denied using PEDs since 2003 in an explosive November interview on WFAN radio, and insisted he "shouldn't serve one inning" for his connection to Biogenesis.
The 38-year-old will forfeit $25 million in salary if his suspension holds. He's due $61 million from 2015-17 plus bonuses depending on his ascension on the all-time home runs list.
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