Members of Alex Rodriguez's camp obtained and leaked documents related to the Biogenesis case Major League Baseball investigated, reports Michael Radutzky of CBS News. That resulted in the implication of Ryan Braun and New York Yankees teammate Francisco Cervelli.
Andy McCullough @McCulloughSL
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.1375828408.html#_=13766641 96569&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=en&partner=undefined&screen_name= McCulloughSL&show_count=false&show_scree n_name=false&size=m" class="twitter-follow-button twitter-follow-button" title="Twitter Follow Button" data-twttr-rendered="true" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; border-width: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); position: absolute; top: 6px; right: 8px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); width: 60px; height: 20px;"></iframe>Alex Rodriguez's attorney denies the CBS report about A-Rod's associates leaking names to MLB. Says the 211-game ban "will not stand."
A 60 Minutes investigation shows people close to Rodriguez received documents which were complete with the names of Braun, Cervelli and Danny Valencia. Of the three, only Valencia was cleared by MLB.
The 60 Minutes piece does not make a definitive connection between Rodriguez and the leaked information. The basis is the role of Rodriguez's "inner circle" in providing the previously unseen content to Yahoo! Sports.
Contacted for comment, Rodriguez's lawyer, David Cornwell, denied the claims and said the Yankees third baseman remains respectful of the appeals process on his 211-game suspension:
CBS News also reports the new allegations against the Rodriguez camp could have a negative impact on his ability to fight the lengthy suspension.
It's unclear how much weight MLB will put into the new report since it doesn't directly link Rodriguez to the leak. More will be known once his appeal is heard.
Andy McCullough @McCulloughSL
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.1375828408.html#_=13766641 96569&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=en&partner=undefined&screen_name= McCulloughSL&show_count=false&show_scree n_name=false&size=m" class="twitter-follow-button twitter-follow-button" title="Twitter Follow Button" data-twttr-rendered="true" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; border-width: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); position: absolute; top: 6px; right: 8px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); width: 60px; height: 20px;"></iframe>Alex Rodriguez's attorney denies the CBS report about A-Rod's associates leaking names to MLB. Says the 211-game ban "will not stand."
A 60 Minutes investigation shows people close to Rodriguez received documents which were complete with the names of Braun, Cervelli and Danny Valencia. Of the three, only Valencia was cleared by MLB.
Braun and Cervelli's names were redacted in the Miami New Times documents. Members of Rodriguez's camp at the time obtained unredacted versions and leaked them to Yahoo! Sports, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The unredacted documents also implicated Baltimore Oriole Danny Valencia, who MLB later investigated and cleared.
The report states Rodriguez's camp leaked the information to Yahoo! Sports shortly after the initial news broke through the Miami New Times. The names of Braun and Cervelli were redacted in the original documents obtained by the paper.The 60 Minutes piece does not make a definitive connection between Rodriguez and the leaked information. The basis is the role of Rodriguez's "inner circle" in providing the previously unseen content to Yahoo! Sports.
Contacted for comment, Rodriguez's lawyer, David Cornwell, denied the claims and said the Yankees third baseman remains respectful of the appeals process on his 211-game suspension:
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.
Braun received a 65-game suspension, and Cervelli was one of several players to accept a 50-game ban for his connection to the Biogenesis clinic.CBS News also reports the new allegations against the Rodriguez camp could have a negative impact on his ability to fight the lengthy suspension.
Rodriguez's case is set to be heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz in the coming weeks. If MLB were to present evidence that Rodriguez's camp knowingly leaked additional Bosch business records, it might demonstrate that Rodriguez's camp had not only obtained them to keep them out of the hands of investigators, but that he actively sought to interfere with baseball's investigation by releasing other players' names.
Braun and Cervelli are already serving their suspensions. Rodriguez continues to play for the Yankees while awaiting the appeals process. As of Aug. 16, he's appeared in nine games and is hitting .278 with one home run and four RBI. It's unclear how much weight MLB will put into the new report since it doesn't directly link Rodriguez to the leak. More will be known once his appeal is heard.
