Alex Rodriguez's history with performance-enhancing drugs is well known. But on Monday, the lengths he allegedly went to in order to cover up his PED use came to light.
The New York Yankees third baseman reportedly paid his cousin Yuri Sucart $900,000 to ensure Sucart remained mum about his PED usage and purchases, per Michael O'Keeffe, Christian Red and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News:
Alex Rodriguez’s infamous "Cousin Yuri Sucart" threatened to expose the Yankee superstar's doping secrets unless the scandal-ridden slugger coughed up "enormous sums of money," according to court papers filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Rodriguez caved, entering into a confidential settlement with Sucart on June 5, 2013, agreeing to pay Sucart one $700,000 payment for his silence, in addition to three more payments made to Sucart that totalled $200,000.
The Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Sucart in August for his role in the Biogenesis drug scandal, per T.J. Quinn of ESPN:
According to the Daily News article, federal authorities charged Sucart with conspiracy to distribute testosterone and human growth hormone, and Rodriguez could be a witness for the prosecution.
This is another event representing the dissolution of the relationship between Rodriguez and Sucart.
Amy K. Nelson covered the duo's dynamic for ESPN.com back in February 2009. She wrote that Sucart "would tell anyone who would listen he was Rodriguez's cousin" and "was also Rodriguez's best friend, confidant and personal protector."
During a 2009 news conference in which he admitted his PED use, Rodriguez implicated his cousin, alluding to the fact that Sucart both provided A-Rod with the drugs and injected him with said drugs as well.
"They are not allies, that’s for sure, or friends," said Sucart's attorney, Edward O'Donnell IV, per the Daily News.
Rodriguez's season-long suspension officially ended following the last out in the 2014 World Series, meaning A-Rod is a member of the Yankees once again. All signs point to him having a big role in the New York lineup when the 2015 MLB season begins.
With this news about possible hush money between A-Rod and Sucart breaking now, however, it's likely to be a long offseason for the 39-year-old Rodriguez.
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