All of last season Alex Rodriguez fought a looming suspension brought on by allegations of doping against him. Despite his battle, the enigmatic third basemen received the punishment he feared from the start – a full on suspension. While it may not be the total ban Bud Selig hoped for, those in favor of cleaning up baseball should happy with the ruling that costs A-Rod the entire 2014 season. This suspension will last from the first day pitchers and catchers show up to training camp, until the last out of the World Series.
"For more than five decades, the arbitration process under the Basic Agreement has been a fair and effective mechanism for resolving disputes and protecting player rights,” Major League Baseball released in a statement. “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."
While the details of the suspension have not been made public, the player’s union which defended Rodriguez strongly disagrees with the decision. A-Rod and his legal team are also not too fond of the ruling. They have since filed suit against baseball and Selig on claims that he was the target, of what he considers, a “witch hunt.” Rodriguez hopes this delay’s Saturday’s ruling with an injunction.
A-Rod has since fired back against the MLB in a public statement of his own.
"I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court,” Rodriguez says. “I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension."
This is the longest suspension thus far in the game’s post millennial war on drugs. Major League Baseball’s chief arbitrator, Fredric Horowitz, announced A-Rod will not be allowed back until the 2015 season.
[Source: MLB, Alex Rodriguez Facebook]