FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2013, file photo, New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez arrives at the offices of Major League Baseball in New York. Attorneys for Rodriguez will appear in a New York courtroom for an initial court conference in his lawsuit against Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees third baseman is not expected at the meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Manhattan federal court. (AP Photo/David Karp, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Alex Rodriguez says Major League Baseball tried to destroy the third baseman’s career and reputation to polish its own image after performance-enhancing drug scandals.
Attorney Jordan Siev made the remarks at an initial conference Thursday before federal Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan. He says the league and its commissioner, Bud Selig, went “way over the line” as they tried to get A-Rod “at all costs.” The New York Yankees star was not at the hearing.
MLB lawyer Joseph Baumgarten told Schofield the lawsuit is “inappropriate.”
Rodriguez was given a 211-game suspension by the league on Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract.
He is challenging the suspension and has sued the league and Selig.
