Major League Baseball acted outside the scope of its drug policy earlier this week by suspending Alex Rodriguez for 211 games. If A-Rod used performance-enhancing substances, it would be the first time he was found guilty of doing so since the league introduced a specific policy for PED suspensions. First-time offenders are supposed to receive a 50-game ban.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes MLB had no right to suspend A-Rod for as long as it did and reportedly threaten to ban him for life. During an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno on Thursday night, he blasted commissioner Bud Selig.
“I think it’s disgraceful what Major League Baseball is trying to do to him,” Cuban said. “It’s not that he doesn’t deserve to be suspended — he does. But they have policies in place. 211 games? That’s personal.
“It’s basically become Bud Selig’s mafia. He runs it the way he wants to run it. When I was trying to buy the Rangers, it was an open auction. I sat in there with my good hard-earned money trying to bid and they did everything possible to keep me from buying the team. They had lawyers in there trying to change the rules. They had people trying to put up more money. It was horrible.”
Cuban obviously has a biased opinion because of his past dealings with Selig, which he basically admitted. He sounds like MLBPA director Michael Weiner in bashing the league for the suspension, but very few people feel sympathy for A-Rod.
Ryan Braun was also a first-time offender, yet he accepted more than a 50-game suspension after MLB presented its evidence. If the league’s evidence against Rodriguez is even more compelling and includes proof that he interfered with their investigation, he also deserves more than a 50-game ban.
