TSN Toronto Clip: Pistorius & A-Rod

Here's my radio clip with TSN Toronto Radio.

Click here to listen.

Copy of Pistorius Indictment

I got my hands and a copy of the Pistorius indictment. It lays out the charges and the list of the prosecution's witnesses. As you will see, many are from the same apartment complex as Pistorius. This ties to witnesses saying they heard a woman scream, then gunshots then more screams.

There are 107 witnesses on the list. Trial is set for March 3, 2014 - but could be delayed.

To read the indictment, click here.

CTV National News: Pistorius Indictment & What's Next

I join CTV National News to talk Pistorius and what's next for the Olympian.

Click here to watch.

TSN Sportscenter: A-Rod's Suspension

I join TSN to discuss A-Rod's suspension.

Click here to watch.

CTV National News: A-Rod's Suspension

I join CTV National News to discuss A-Rod's suspension. This all makes me very sad. Well not really.

Click here to watch.

CTV National News: A-Rod and the Imminent Suspension

I join CTV National News to talk imminent Biogenesis suspensions.

Click here to watch.

A-Rod Weighing His A-Options

Facing a lifetime ban from baseball, which would include the forfeiture of $86 million in salary plus being officially barred from the Hall of Fame, Alex Rodriguez has undoubtedly been spending a lot of time with his lawyers.

In a case like this, Rodriguez and his lawyers would sit down and weigh his options. They would play out different scenarios identifying the pros and cons. Here are his key options:

Option 1: Dig In and Fight

Baseball has reportedly offered Rodriguez a deal: agree to be suspended and forfeit your right to an appeal, and in exchange we will only suspend you for the rest of this season and all of next season. If he agrees to that, if/when he returned in 2015 at the age of 38, he would have 3 years left at $61 million. Not too shabby.

However, if Rodriguez decides not to cut a deal, reports are that Commissioner Bud Selig will suspend him for life. On top of that, baseball will suspend Rodriguez, in part, under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (and not just the Drug Policy).

This distinction matters. If Rodriguez were only suspended under the Drug Policy, he would be able to play during his appeal (which will be heard by Fredric Horowitz). That would mean we could see him back this season playing for the Yankees. However, if MLB suspended Rodriguez under the CBA, he would not be allowed to play while his case is being appealed. Under the CBA, baseball can go this route if a player has engaged in conduct that is detrimental or prejudicial to the “best interests of baseball”, and can include things like breaking federal, state or local laws. This isn’t something baseball exercises lightly; it’s a dramatic option.

There is even the option of baseball invoking Article XI(A)(1)(b) of the Basic Agreement, which provides that Selig can make a ruling if a case involves “the preservation of the integrity of, or the maintenance of public confidence in, the game of baseball”. This is also important. If Selig exercises this option, Rodriguez’s appeal would not go to an independent arbitrator but rather back to Selig. That would all but guaranteed a loss for Rodriguez. However, Selig has advised that he won’t be doing this.

So if Rodriguez decided not to cut a deal, his next step would be to appeal his lifetime ban. That appeal would first go to Mr. Horowitz. We haven’t seen the evidence against Rodriguez. Reports however, are that it is overwhelming and substantial. It may also include things like witness tampering, interfering with the investigation and recruiting athletes to Biogenesis (allegations which Rodriguez has denied). Even with this evidence, baseball may have a difficult time getting Mr. Horowitz to uphold the lifetime ban on appeal.

The lifetime ban punishment is only for the most exceptional of circumstances, and while PED use and possible obstruction of justice charges  are very serious, generally more is needed before a player can be denied lifetime employment in baseball. This is particularly the cse for someone who has not been suspended before. Historically in baseball, it’s tough to enforce these types of bans. This isn’t breaking news, and baseball is aware of this.

So Rodriguez if appeals the ban, it may be reduced to somewhere around 150 games – which would be most of next season. But really, that’s just a guess. A lot will turn on the evidence. If it shows an extensive pattern of PED use together with substantial interference with the investigation, it could be more.

If he’s unhappy with whatever ruling the arbitrator’s makes, Rodriguez could head to court. If he did, Rodriguez would attack the credibility of those who provided the evidence, including Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch and former employee Porter Fisher. Bosch has allegedly engaged in criminal activity and would become a significant target of a Rodriguez defence. His legal team would also hope that the pressure of litigation may encourage MLB to settle on more favourable terms. However, that seems unlikely given that baseball is accustomed to litigation and is fully committed to this case.

So if he elects to fight, he first heads to arbitration (while still suspended) and then possibly off to court. Messy and long.

Option 2: Cut A Deal

The evidence against Ryan Braun was overwhelming and substantial. For that reason, he accepted a major suspension even in the absence of a positive drug test (he has the same lawyer as Rodriguez by the way). According to reports, the evidence against Rodriguez is even more overwhelming and even more substantial. There are also reports of a longstanding relationship between Rodriguez and Bosch going back a number of years.

If there is indeed very good evidence against Rodriguez, his lawyers will canvass the benefits of settlement. First, if he agrees to the deal on the table, he could be back in 2015 and still have 3 years/$61 million left on his deal.

As well, by agreeing to MLB’s terms, he will get immediate certainty as far as the length of his suspension.  In contrast, if he goes to arbitration, the length may be reduced but may still exceed MLB’s current offer. And if this somehow ends up in Court, this could take multiple years to litigate – and the entire time Rodriguez may not be able to return to baseball. So if he fights, the only certainty is uncertainty.

There is also the matter of legal fees. At $450 million, Rodriguez is the highest paid athlete in major league baseball history. So lawyer fees aren't going to be an issue.

On the flip side, if he takes the deal he will effectively be declaring his guilt. You might remember that he admitted to using PEDs for three-year period beginning in 2001. By agreeing to a suspension now, the public may well conclude that he has used his entire career. Essentially, there would be no recovering his legacy. He will be perceived as the Lance Armstrong of baseball. The problem for Rodriguez is that the legacy ship may have already sailed.

Option 3: Try Something Else.

Cricket looks like fun.

Ultimately, Rodriguez seems cornered. He is looking to pick the best option available to him under the circumstances. Not an enviable position to be in.

Indeed, rock meet hard place.

Interview with TJ Quinn: Some of The Highlights

Steve Lloyd and I interviewed TJ Quinn recently on my radio show Offside. TJ is an investigative reporter with ESPN's Outside The Lines and has done a terrific story breaking a lot of stories in connection with Biogenesis.

Here's a transcript of some of his interesting comments:

MLB Player Reaction to Braun Suspension

My colleagues have reported being overwhelmed at how many guys came up and said they were happy that he got nailed. People were furious. It’s one thing to lie about it. It’s one thing to make a snide accusation that somehow the sample collector was to blame and was out to get him. Players have been saying he made us lie; we defended him and he let us do it. So you have the indignancy of being asked to lie for somebody - and on top of that there has been a real cultural change in our players see this. There is sizable majority that want to see drugs out of the game and want to see cheaters punished.

On Tony Bosch being a doctor

He says he went to medical school in Belize and he has a degree in his office. He is not an MD and certainly has never held a license to practice medicine.

On Porter Fisher’s importance

He is the one that unravelled Biogenesis publicly. We have been working on this since last August. Sometime a few months later, Fisher, who had been a client of Biogenesis and then became an investor and then quickly became an unhappy investor, had it with Tony Bosch. Bosch owed him $3600, Porter asked for it, and Bosch said he wouldn’t pay him. So after that, Fisher went to the Miami New Times with 4 boxes of [Biogensis] documents.

On whether Fisher initially believed Bosch’s activities were legitimate

He says that he believed they were perfectly legitimate. He called himself a doctor, he had a degree on the wall and everyone called him Doctor T. He even had a lab coat – how much more official does it get than that.

He had no reason to doubt him. He also said at the outset he was unaware there was a performance enhancement part to Bosch’s practice. He knew of the weight loss component as he had been a client of Bosch. Then he figured it out after looking at the books.

On whether Fisher tried to blackmail Bosch

He denies that ever happened. When I asked him that question on camera he suggested he would pursued it in any event. He believed that someone had to look at Tony Bosch. Whatever his motivation, one thing that did seem clear was that he wasn’t looking for attention and he wasn’t really looking to do anything about the athletes. He said he didn’t really know who most of the athletes were when he got the documents. He wasn’t much of a sports fan. The only names he recognized were Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera. He took the stuff about to the Miami New Times more concerned about with the names lawyers, judges and local law enforcement thinking they would jump on that. When the Miami New Times reviewed the documents, they figured out quickly how many athletes there were.

There have been a lot of smears against Fisher and a lot of parties interested in discrediting him and saying he wanted money for the documents. Based on everything we have seen, (and we have done a lot of reporting to check him out) he never did. When he went to the Miami New Times they said he never asked for money. He didn’t go to major league baseball and ask for money.

On NBA players being connected to Biogenesis

According to Porter – yes. I don’t know the names of anybody involved. He has indicated that they aren’t major names. He knows about a dozen athletes from outside of major league baseball across 6 sports. So obviously the numbers aren’t overwhelming for any one of those sports. But that also only covers a very short period of time where he had access to documents. He estimates that Bosch worked with over 100 athletes if you go back a few years.

So he may have had a few clients from other sports but it doesn’t sound like he had a major operation in those sports like he did in baseball.

On Rodriguez’s longstanding relationship with Bosch

It goes back years. Bosch had a different relationship with Arod. He got the personal treatment that others did not. He generally used couriers for other athletes like Ryan Braun. But Bosch would go to Arod’s house and inject him there. He once went to his house and was trying to get into a vein. He couldn’t hit the vein and Arod was bleeding all over his house and got furious at Bosch and kicked him out of the house. Bosch was worried he was done and was going to fire him. For years it was more than just casual contact.

On Rodriguez declaring he wants to be a role model

There seems to be a disconnect between what he thinks he can do to restore his image and where his image really is. Unless he can show a massive conspiracy by Tony Bosch to get him, he’s cooked. Baseball had an expectation (on the evidence) and Bosch exceeded it.