NEW YORK (AP) - One of Alex Rodriguez’s lawyers wants Major League Baseball to release testimony about whether Commissioner Bud Selig knew Anthony Bosch distributed banned substances to teenagers.
Rob Manfred, baseball’s chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players’ union to overturn Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension.
A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasn’t concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLB’s interest was his relationship with players under investigation.
Baseball suspended 13 players last summer following its investigation of Bosch’s now-closed Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. Rodriguez received the lengthiest penalty and was the only one in the group to contest his discipline.
Manfred said he explained during his testimony that MLB’s focus was on whether players violated the sport’s drug agreement or labor contract. He also said MLB had been a leader in preventing steroid abuse by youth.
“While Mr. Manfred has violated the confidentiality requirements of the collective bargaining agreement by making reference to his testimony, we choose to live up to our obligations,” Joseph Tacopina, one of Rodriguez’s lawyers, said in a statement Sunday. “However, Mr. Manfred knows that he has not accurately described his testimony. We therefore call on him to put forward his full testimony at the hearing about his and commissioner Selig’s knowledge of, and relative regard for, Mr. Bosch’s dealing performance enhancing drugs to minors at the time MLB struck its cooperation and indemnity deal with Mr. Bosch.”
Speaking Sunday, Manfred blamed Rodriguez’s side for the release of information from the hearing.
“There have been numerous and ongoing leaks from Mr. Tacopina and other members of the Rodriguez camp,” he said. “We have made limited responses to correct the inaccuracies that have been put out by those associated with Mr. Rodriguez. It is ironic that Mr. Tacopina would have the temerity to complain about breaches of the confidentiality agreement.”
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