Tony Bosch's Lawyer Claims Alex Rodriguez Paid Her

No, wait! Maybe A-Rod is worse than Ryan Braun! According to an attorney for Tony Bosch, Alex Rodriguez paid her $25,000 to represent the embattled Biogenesis founder.

That's the report from Outside The Lines, which has a statement from Bosch's attorney, Susy Ribero-Ayala, as well as documents showing a second, canceled wire transfer for nearly $50,000 that Rodriguez's then-lawyer characterized as a "mistake."

According to Ribero-Ayala, Rodriguez paid her a retainer represent Bosch in February, just as the Biogenesis scandal was gearing up. At the time, Bosch hadn't yet agreed to cooperate with Major League Baseball's investigation, so the implication is that Rodriguez was currying favor with Bosch to avoid the release of damning evidence. (Around the same time, it was reported last week, Rodriguez's camp was leaking documents containing Ryan Braun's name to deflect attention away from himself.)

In April, Ribero-Ayala said, she received a second payment for nearly $50,000, which she says was unsolicited. After discussing it with Rodriguez's lawyer, it was returned. This is confusing, but keep in mind that about a month later, a report emerged claiming Bosch had attempted to get money from Rodriguez after MLB filed a lawsuit against him. Rodriguez declined, that report says, and Bosch began cooperating with MLB.

Not that Bosch is an unimpeachable source, or doesn't have his own self-preservation in mind (he's currently the subject of a federal investigation), but this is the first claim from someone besides MLB that Rodriguez actively interfered in MLB's investigation. It's that interference, and not the alleged PED use itself, that accounts for the bulk of A-Rod's 211-game suspension