A report alleges that Alex Rodriguez leaked information about his fellow players — including Yankees teammate Francisco Cervelli — concerning their involvement in Biogenesis. If true, it could back Major League Baseball’s assertion that the Yankees’ beleaguered third baseman obstructed its investigation of the now-shuttered anti-aging clinic in South Florida.
“60 Minutes” reported that, in February, members of A-Rod’s inner circle obtained handwritten documents from Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch and then leaked them to Yahoo! Sports, which was the first to report the names of Cervelli as well as Brewers star Ryan Braun. Bosch has since become MLB’s star witness in its investigation.
While Braun and Cervelli’s names were redacted in the original Miami New Times report, members from Rodriguez camp released them to Yahoo! Sports.
Rule 6(A)(2) of the Joint Drug Agreement reads, “Any and all information relating to a Player’s involvement in the Program, including, but not limited to, the fact or the results of any Prohibited Substance testing to which the Player may be subject, and any discipline imposed upon the Player by the Commissioner’s Office shall remain strictly confidential.”
David Cornwell, A-Rod’s attorney, said in a statement to “60 Minutes,”: “The allegations are untrue and are another attempt to harm Alex — this time by driving a wedge between Alex and other players in the game. While Alex focuses on baseball and repeatedly states that he is going to respect the appeal process, the drumbeat of false allegations continues.”
Cervelli is now serving a 50-game suspension, as are 11 other players indicted in the Biogenesis scandal, and Braun is serving a 65-game suspension. All 13 players accepted baseball’s penalty. The Yahoo! report also identified Baltimore’s Danny Valencia, who was cleared by MLB.
A-Rod is appealing a 211-game suspension from Bud Selig that alleges both obstruction and multiple years of purchasing and using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. He is expected to play through the rest of this season as his situation is legally resolved.
Tonight, he’ll make his first visit to Fenway Park, where he is largely reviled by Red Sox fans, since his suspension was announced. A-Rod has a .278/.350/.417 slash line, with one home run and four RBI, in nine games for the Yankees so far.