Major League Baseball is preparing to suspend Rodriguez for life for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, two sources told USA Today on Wednesday.
The punishment will reportedly be handed down either Thursday or Friday along with announcements of 50-game suspensions for eight other players, including Detroit’s Jhonny Peralta and Texas’ Nelson Cruz.
According to multiple reports, those eight will likely not fight their suspensions, but Rodriguez’s attorney, David Cornwell, has said that the Yankees third baseman will appeal any punishment levied against him by the commissioner’s office.
It has been rumored that Rodriguez will be suspended for a violation of the collective bargaining agreement, not MLB’s drug policy, in which case he would not have the right to an appeal.
Players’ union executive director Michael Weiner reportedly wrote in an email to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that he “can neither confirm nor deny” that the league is planning to impose a lifetime ban on Rodriguez.
