On this day, in 2013 Major League Baseball punished players it found to have been involved with the South Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis, suspending Alex Rodriguez and banning 12 others.
August 5, 2013
Sport: Baseball
Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees All-Star infielder Alex Rodriguez for 211 games on Aug. 5, 2013, citing his “use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited, performance-enhancing substances” over many years as the reason.
Rodriguez never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. However, the suspension stemmed from an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Florida-based anti-aging clinic that Rodriguez had ties to starting in 2010. Baseball investigators concluded Rodriguez had used testosterone and human growth hormone, which were banned substances by MLB. Rodriguez was also cited for obstructing the league’s investigation.
Rodriguez was allowed to play the remainder of the season while appealing the decision, however, an arbitrator subsequently upheld the suspension in January 2014.
