Alex Rodriguez Crisis Management Team Strikes Out

Feb 18

Did the Government Illegally Leak Evidence Linking A-Rod to Steroids?

Alex Rodriguez, the Major League Baseball’s (MLB) highest paid player, allegedly tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003 according to a report by Sports Illustrated (SI) reporters Selena Roberts and David Epstein. The ongoing steroid witch hunt has, for all intents and purposes, finally taken down baseball’s $275 million man. While this may be troubling for baseball fans, government watchdogs are concerned that government officials may have illegally leaked the name of Alex Rodriguez to SI. Furthermore, a federal court may ultimately decide that the government seizure of Alex Rodriguez’ positive steroid test itself may have been illegal.

Rodriguez has survived virtually unscathed by steroid allegations during the contemporary steroids in baseball hysteria. The much maligned whistleblower Jose Canseco did everything he could to implicate A-Rod in his book entitled Vindicated. “Hell, if you ask me, I did everything but inject the guy myself," Canseco wrote; but few people found the allegations credible given the lack of any first-hand evidence by Canseco.

Four anonymous sources confirmed to SI that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone use (elevated testosterone:epitestosterone ratio) and Primobolan (methenolone) in 2003 as part of a player drug testing program.

A collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the MLB Commissioner resulted in steroid testing for baseball players for the first time in 2003. The MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program introduced non-disciplinary and anonymous steroid testing that would result in mandatory steroid testing ONLY if the number of players testing positive exceed 5% of the samples. The players were promised that they could not be penalized as a result of a positive test result in 2003. The anonymous testing resulted in 104 steroid positives. This number exceeded the threshold for the mandatory testing provision. The collective bargaining agreement called for the positive samples to be destroyed. This did not happen for unknown reasons.

The MLB list of steroid positives was seized by the federal agents during a raid of Comprehensive Drug Testing Incorporated (CDT) in Long Beach. CDT is the company responsible for steroid testing under the MLB joint drug program. The search warrant was executed as part of the investigation into the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) to MLB players; specifically, federal agents were seeking information on 10 MLB players when they stumbled upon a spreadsheet listing of 104 players testing positive.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), led by lead attorney Ethan Atticus Balogh, promptly sued the United States government for illegally seizing the list of steroid positive players and samples. The super-secret list of name of 104 MLB baseball players who tested positive for anabolic steroids has remained a closely guarded secret since the judge imposed a gag order against all parties legally involved in the case. The case of Major League Baseball Players v. United States of America has reached the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where arguments were heard by an eleven member panel of judges in December 2008.

There are strong indications that the Court will rule against the government seizure of MLB steroid users.

Judge Milan Smith was quoted in that story saying the idea that the government is allowed to seize computer databases containing all types of information while on narrowly focused investigations "would probably be frightening to the public because there's no end to it."

Alex Rodriguez is only one out of 104 baseball players on the list of individuals who tested positive for anabolic steroid use. Only a handful of individuals could have leaked Rodriguez’ name including the federal government, MLBPA, Alex Rodriguez, or friend, family, business associates or teammates of Rodriguez. Some speculate that the most likely source of the leak is a federal official(s). Perhaps, the government is frustrated that they’ve spent of $50 million dollars on a steroid investigation that has produced very few results aside from a few lenient sentences.

One would be hopeful that there would be significant outrage at such an irresponsible waste of taxpayer resources on a ridiculous witch-hunt especially during a troubled economic times. But thus far the government has apparently not underestimated the number of Americans who feel anabolic steroids in sports are a major threat facing our nation.

Sources

“Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003,” February 7, 2009

“One BIG question remains: Who ratted out Alex Rodriguez?,” February 9, 2009

“Fate of steroid test list mired in ongoing court battle,” February 8, 2009

“Result for Rodriguez Revives Testing Controversy,” February 8, 2009

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com