Report: Bosch Asked A-Rod For Money Before Reaching Deal With MLB
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Biogenesis operator Anthony Bosch asked for six-figure "financial help" from Alex Rodriguez before agreeing to cooperate with MLB's investigation into his clinic, according to the New York Daily News.
A-Rod wouldn't pay Bosch, who was "believed to be" asking "in the hundreds of thousands," the Daily News reported.
Biogenesis is the now-shuttered Florida anti-aging clinic at the heart of baseball's latest performance-enhancing drugs scandal. Rodriguez and Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun are among the names listed in the reported records of Biogenesis, which allegedly supplied PEDs to athletes.
"A-Rod refused to pay him what he wanted," one source told the Daily News. "Baseball was worried about that."
The bombshell that Bosch has agreed to speak with investigators was first reported by ESPN on Tuesday night. A league executive told CBS News that Bosch could implicate up to 25 players, including some stars not currently connected to the firestorm.
MLB could suspend A-Rod for 100 games, according to ESPN.
The league promised to drop its lawsuit against Bosch, the Daily News reported, adding the agreement includes "paying his legal bills, indemnifying him for any civil liability that arises from his cooperation and providing him with personal security." MLB also said it would "intervene" if the lawman comes knocking on Bosch's door, according to the paper.
A source told the Daily News that the nature of the deal "raises a lot of serious ethical problems."
Rodriguez, recovering from offseason hip surgery, has denied the allegations.
"Myself and others are being mentioned in a media report before the process is even concluded," Rodriguez said in a statement Thursday. "I would hope this thing would follow the guidelines of our Basic Agreement. I will monitor the situation and comment when appropriate. As I have said previously, I am working out every day to get back on the field and help the Yankees win a championship. I am down here doing my job and working hard and will continue to do so until I'm back playing."
MLB investigators are interviewing players with ties to the Biogenesis scandal. Union head Michael Weiner said in a statement Wednesday that the commissioner's office "has assured us that no decisions regarding discipline have been made or will be made until those interviews are completed."
Rodriguez is slated to earn $114 million over the final five years of his 10-year, $275 million deal.
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