Scott Boras thinks Major League Baseball is doing it all wrong.
Boras, the former agent for Alex Rodriguez, spoke with FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on Monday about the league’s effort to get performance-enhancing drugs out of baseball. Boras, whom Rosenthal described as “agitated,” said MLB is wrong to enter relationships with PED suppliers while going after players — as it did with Biogenesis founder/PED distributor Anthony Bosch in its investigation against A-Rod.
“The integrity of the game is only partially served when a known pusher is exonerated, when the genesis of this entire problem is now given a forum and compensation and is not behind bars for the distribution and promoting the use of illegal drugs, not only to baseball players but all members of the sporting community and youth,” Boras told Rosenthal.
Bosch served as the chief witness in MLB’s push to suspend Rodriguez for the use of performance-enhancing drugs — an effort that ultimately resulted in a 162-game suspension for the New York Yankees third baseman. Rosenthal notes that, according to New York Magazine, MLB committed at least $1.8 million to provide security for and cover the legal fees of Bosch. Bosch also escaped punishment despite allegedly providing several major leaguers with PEDs.
“Until we rectify that problem, we have not addressed the central issue of eradicating PEDs from professional sports,” Boras said. “We have to have legislation. We have to have very clear authority and prosecution of these individuals.
“If these individuals go free, it promotes behavior to create processes to distribute PEDs, knowing the league’s focus is on the players, not on the distributors of drugs.”
Rodriguez initially was suspended for 211 games following MLB’s investigation, but an arbitrator has since reduced the ban to 162 games — all of the 2014 season. A-Rod on Monday sued both Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association in an attempt to have his suspension overturned.
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