THE COVER UP:
A-Rod told DEA agents that he was being extorted by his cousin, Yuri Sucart (the friend that introduced him to Bosch) in December 2012, who was demanding $5 million so that he “would not disclose Rodriguez’s relationship with Bosch to MLB,” according to the DEA report. In an out-of-court settlement, A-Rod agreed to pay Sucart $900,000 and other compensation to silence him about the ballplayer’s purchase of steroids from Bosch, the DEA report said.
At the DEA interview, A-Rod’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, told authorities that his client’s investigative team wanted to buy a video recording of a secret meeting between MLB investigators and a South Florida man who came into possession of incriminating Biogenesis notebooks on Bosch’s steroid customers. Tacopina told authorities that Rodriguez’s team paid $200,000 for the video and Biogenesis records.
THE FALLOUT:
In light of what has happened it is unknown whether or not A-Rod will ever be allowed to rejoin the New York Yankees, much less any other MLB team after being caught lying to the public about his own steroid use and the multiple instances of deceit, cheating on drug tests and other violations of the MLB rules.
The reputation of A-Rod is no doubt fully and permanently tarnished, and time will tell if he receives any further discipline for his actions.
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