COLUMN: MLB ban appeal process too lengthy

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Alex Rodriguez for a total of 211 games Aug. 5.

That is the longest non-lifetime ban ever handed down by the MLB.

Rodriguez came off the disabled list the day his suspension was announced and played in the game against the Chicago White Sox later that day. Rodriguez is still playing despite his suspension and hit his 650th home run Monday.

A-Rod shouldn’t be able to appeal his suspension and continue to play.

A-Rod was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in the Biogenesis investigation.

In the past, Rodriguez has admitted to using PEDs.

Thirteen other players from the Biogenesis scandal are currently serving their suspensions. Some of their teams even made acquisitions just in case one of their players were suspended.

Why is A-Rod appealing his suspension, unlike the other 13 players who were nailed in the case?

This is a move so he can collect his 2013 salary, as mentioned in CNN, and it appears he’ll be receiving all of it.

When Rodriguez’s suspension was announced, CNN noted it could cost him $31 million.

Even though Rodriguez hasn’t started serving his suspension yet, Selig said he was proud of the executive Biogenesis investigation team. Selig told USA Today he believed he made the right decision in suspending A-Rod.

There’s a question mark around A-Rod’s salary for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. If he is suspended during that time, he won’t be able to collect his outrageous salary.

A repeat offender such as A-Rod should be banned from baseball.

Why let such a man play if he is going to keep trying to receive unfair advantages?

MLB and other leagues need to announce suspensions when they are certain someone actually used a performance-enhancing drug or has done something wrong.
The guilty players who were suspended should start serving their suspensions immediately without an appeal process.

The appeal process is very lengthy.

A resolution to A-Rod’s appeal is expected to be reached in November or December, well after the season is over and after he’s collected his salary for the 2013 season.
 
If he would’ve started serving his suspension when it was announced, he would’ve been able to play at the beginning of 2015. He would’ve missed the end of the 2013 season and the entirety of the 2014 year.

During an interview in Chicago, a couple hours before the game against the White Sox, Rodriguez didn’t deny using PEDs. He’s playing baseball, but can’t answer a simple question honestly.

Instead, he said he would rather talk about whether he used them at a different time while avoiding eye contact with reporters.

He didn’t answer the questions directly.

With Rodriguez not serving his suspension, the MLB looks bad.

­— jayljohn@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Jaylen Johnson on Twitter @nelyaJohnsonIDS.