Yankees president Randy Levine to Alex Rodriguez: ‘Put up or shut up’
New York Yankees president Randy Levine has fired back at Alex Rodriguez in response to strong accusations from A-Rod’s lawyer that claimed the team tried to sabotage the slugger by keeping medical records away from him. Levine’s message was short and simple.
“Alex should put up or shut up,” he told ESPNNewYork.com on Saturday afternoon.
By that, Levine is challenging A-Rod’s lawyer Joe Tacopina to release medical records that support the claim that the Yankees lied to Rodriguez. Tacopina even alleged that Levine told the doctor who was about to perform hip surgery on A-Rod that he never wants to see the 38-year-old on the field again.
“We will put up, mark my words, we will put up,” Tacopina said in response to Levine’s challenge. “[Levine] is always a very big talker, but he is going to be humbled eventually. He is acting in a way that if his bosses and superiors and the Steinbrenner family have any sense of decency, if they are true to what the Yankees’ heritage is, they would be appalled with how their president is acting. We will put up.”
With Rodriguez’s permission, Levine said he is prepared to release medical records dating back to A-Rod’s first hip surgery in 2009 to prove that Tacopina’s assertion is untrue.
“That’s nonsense,” Levine said. “You can’t even respond to a thing like that. “If he really believes that, he should file a grievance for the release of all his medical records. We’re willing to release all of them. All he has to do is say yes and we’ll release them all for everyone to see.”
Levine also said that A-Rod should release records from the treatment he received from his own doctor — which was not authorized by the team — so that everything is out in the open. After New York’s loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, Rodriguez said he would release those records “when the time is right.” Levine also said he is willing to share all of the emails he exchanged with A-Rod to prove he has been one of his biggest supporters.
“It’s quite surprising that now Alex needs a new layer to put out reckless, specious and false allegations that only distract from the only relevant question here, the one he refuses to answer: Did he or did he not use performance-enhancing drugs?” Levine added.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez continues to be inserted into the Yankees’ lineup with a goal of helping the team win. While he does that, New York’s front office is at war with his lawyers. I can only imagine how the rest of the Yankees feel about the never-ending soap opera.