Yuri Sucart Reportedly Mulling Big-Bucks Lawsuit Against A-Rod
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A-Rod's controversial offseason could soon involve a courtroom.
Yuri Sucart -- the Yankees star's so-called steroid mule -- has "consulted" with his lawyer regarding a possible lawsuit against his famous cousin, according to the New York Daily News.
"I know there's a lot of friction. I know that (Sucart's) name got caught in the crossfire of all the allegations involving all the performance-enhancing drugs," Miami attorney John Ruiz told the New York Daily News. "I've been consulted about it. But obviously because there's an attorney/client relationship, I can't really divulge details."
Sucart was forever linked to A-Rod's transgressions when the third baseman admitted in 2009 to steroid use from 2001-03 while with the Texas Rangers. A-Rod said Sucart acquired and injected the performance-enhancing drugs.
A-Rod's cousin was then banned from the Yankees' facilities and activities. He was spotted with Rodriguez at a team hotel in 2011, though MLB ruled that Sucart didn't violate the ban.
Sucart's name popped up again this offseason, when his name was listed in the reported records of Biogenesis, an alleged PED-peddling clinic in Florida. Rodriguez was among the players linked to Biogenesis and its head, Anthony Bosch.
A-Rod has denied any relationship with Bosch.
TheMLBNation.com first reported Sucart's intentions to take A-Rod to court. According to the site, Rodriguez rejected a settlement deal, and Sucart will be "seeking $5 million in damages" in the pending lawsuit for "libel, defamation of character, fraud and dues owed."
But Ruiz told the Daily News that a defamation suit wasn't on the table -- at least in his conversations with Sucart.
"I'm not sure that I would represent (Sucart) if that's the course of action he would take," Ruiz said. "That's where we are."
"I see (Sucart) pretty often," he added. "He has consulted with me here and there. But there's no specific course of action that's been contemplated as of this point in time, at least with me. There are two things: does a client have a case and do you want to do it? Right now, I don't know (the answer to) either of them."
One of A-Rod's 2009 World Series rings is currently being sold at auction by a collector who bought it from Sucart.
The 37-year-old Rodriguez has stayed away from the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa, instead rehabbing from offseason hip surgery in New York.
Your thoughts on the family feud? Be heard in the comments...
