New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has angered a number of his fellow players by filing a lawsuit against the MLB Players Association. In a recent conference call, several players ripped A-Rod for going against his “brothers.” One player even reportedly said he hopes Rodriguez gets plunked if he returns to the diamond, but no players were willing to attach their names to the quotes.
Jonny Gomes, one of several fan favorites on the 2013 Boston Red Sox World Series team, had no problem speaking on behalf of the union.
“He does steroids or whatever, it sucks. He does this or that, it sucks. He’s always in the news, it sucks,” Gomes told the Boston Herald on Thursday. “But this is the players’ union he’s going against. It’s all of us. Not a real good idea.
“I think what he had going on is pretty individual. He did it. It was his decision, his suspension. But I don’t think it’s really a good idea to go after our union. Down to my (expletive) kids, down to the benefits we have, down to our retirement fund, the union makes our lives better. We pay dues to the union for our rights.”
A-Rod hired his own legal team to fight his initial 211-game suspension, which was eventually cut down to 162 games. However, his lawsuit against the MLBPA means that player dues will be going toward defending the union. That’s what rubs Gomes and others the wrong way.
[Related: John Lackey did not think A-Rod should play during suspension]
“Him and the Yankees were butting heads last year,” Gomes said. “Whatever, don’t care. But he’s truly going against every single major league player, and every single major league player that’s played this game before. It brings a whole different light on things.”
Players like Ryan Braun and Jhonny Peralta were caught cheating and accepted the punishment. A-Rod insists on attacking everyone in his path to try to clear his name, including the union that represents the players’ rights. He truly is on an island of his own.
