Selig Might Punish Rodriguez

An ESPN report states that baseball commissioner Bud Selig might consider punishing Yankees' 3B Alex Rodriguez for his prior steroid use.

"It was against the law, so I would have to think about that. It's very hard. I've got to think about all that kind of stuff," Selig told the USA Today.

This would just be an immoral thing to do if Selig does punish Rodriguez. For one, the steroids were not illegal at the time and if caught, a player would not be subject to any penalties whatsoever.

Second, it was only in the past and he has not failed a drug test since 2004 (allegedly). If he failed a test and that was reported, Rodriguez would be suspended fifty games.

Also, if Rodriguez is punished for his prior drug abuse, what about all the players named in the Mitchell Report? What about the other 103 players who failed drug tests in 2003? Would they face suspensions as well for taking performance-enhancing drugs? It would not be right for Selig to suspend the one player whose name was leaked out.

Rodriguez should not be suspended for his prior usage of performance-enhancing drugs. If he is, Selig will be criticized even more than he is already. Selig let an All-Star Game end in a tie in 2002 when there were no more bench players. That decision haunted him in the 2008 All-Star Game when the fans and the broadcasters wondered if that game would too end in a tie.

If Alex Rodriguez was suspended, it would be completely wrong for baseball.