Alex Rodriguez could be facing a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball due to his connection with the Biogenesis clinic, CBS News' Jim Axelrod reports. The news comes in the wake of Ryan Braun's 65-game, unpaid suspension.
Per an ESPN.com report, Major League Baseball has even more evidence against Rodriguez than it did against Braun. Sources told CBS Evening News that Rodriguez's suspension, expected to be announced within the next two or three weeks, has a chance to go beyond Braun's punishment.
A-Rod tried to buy and destroy Biogenesis documents
Alex Rodriguez was named in April as the player who tried to buy and destroy documents from the Biogenesis of America clinic before they could be discovered by Major League Baseball.Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs while he was with the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003. He has denied using PEDs since joining the New York Yankees, however. Although sources close to Rodriguez have told USA Today otherwise, if MLB truly has overwhelming evidence against Rodriguez, he may be forced into a situation where he must admit to using PEDs to potentially avoid harsher punishment from the league, just as Braun did.
Rodriguez was tabbed in April as the player who attempted to buy documents from Biogenesis in order to destroy them before they were found by the league. While technically not evidence of wrong-doing -- the information in the Biogenesis documents did not prove PED use, only that players had been linked to the clinic -- the fact that Rodriguez was so hasty raised suspicions, SB Nation's Steven Goldman wrote:
Having said that, it seems odd that a man who is not guilty would be trying to suppress evidence relating to his own case. Thus we seem to now be in a weird baseball version of Watergate, where the "third-rate burglary" of DNC headquarters eventually took a backseat to the White House's attempt to cover it up.
Rodriguez has yet to play this season for the Yankees due to various injuries.
More from SB Nation:
• Ryan Braun suspended for rest of season | Rob Neyer on Braun | Steven Goldman on Braun
• A-Rod may be next superstar to be suspended