Hal Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees' managing general partner, admits that he's "concerned" about the doping allegations surrounding superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez, according to a recent report by the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
Steinbrenner spoke briefly on the subject on Friday, leaving the allegations in the hands of the MLB (via ESPN.com): "We will cooperate with MLB in any way we can, any way we're asked to. But other than that, there's not much to say. I don't know any more than you do."
In late January, the Miami New Times reported that Rodriguez had purchased human growth hormone, among other performance-enhancing drugs, from Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic located in Coral Gables in South Florida.
The 37-year-old has since denied the report, but will no doubt be fielding questions about it in the coming weeks and months as the 2013 season gets set to begin. It certainly doesn't help that Rodriguez plays in one of the biggest sports markets in the world.
Here's a look at Rodriguez's response to the allegations via a statement from his publicist (via the Miami New Times' Tim Elfrink):
The news report about a purported relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch [is] not true. He was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. The purported documents referenced in the story -- at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez -- are not legitimate.
Rodriguez, who was one of nine athletes named in the New Times report, underwent hip surgery on Jan. 16 and is not expected to return to the Yankees lineup until midseason.
There's a lot that must be proved as this story develops, but Rodriguez is definitely going to have a tough time finding believers. After all, it was just four years ago that Rodriguez, a three-time American League MVP, admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during the early 2000s.
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