New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez warms up before a spring training baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
(AP)A-Rod: Lawyers Are Setting up Interview With Feds
A-Rod says his lawyers are setting up interview with investigators regarding Canadian doctor
TAMPA, Fla. March 10, 2010 (AP)
Alex Rodriguez may soon be talking to federal authorities, and he hopes it will happen close to spring training.
Lawyers for the Yankee slugger are setting up an interview as part of an investigation into a Canadian doctor who is the focus of a cross-border drug smuggling case involving human growth hormone.
Rodriguez said the site is under discussion but he would like it near the team's spring complex in Tampa rather than in Buffalo, N.Y., where the U.S. investigation is being conducted. He expects to soon know the interview date.
"The idea is to schedule something that allows me to cooperate and also get my work in," Rodriguez said Wednesday. "Obviously doing it here would be fantastic."
Rodriguez would not indicate if he pressed his lawyers to lock in a date, but he said they have been working on it for "maybe a few days. I don't know."
Kathleen Mehltretter, acting U.S. attorney for western New York, said it is not unusual for investigators to go to those they want to interview but declined to comment on the investigation. Maureen Dempsey, an FBI spokeswoman in Buffalo, would not comment on Rodriguez's statements, citing the investigation.
Rodriguez lawyer James Sharp did not respond to several messages left by The Associated Press.
On March 1, Rodriguez said he was aware federal agents wanted to talk to him about his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea. Galea told the AP on Monday that he helped the three-time MVP recover from a hip injury last year but prescribed only anti-inflammatories, not HGH.
Rodriguez said he is not frustrated by the wait or questions from the media because the investigation is "not about me."
Other baseball players, including Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran of the Mets, have been contacted by federal investigators regarding Galea. Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street said federal investigators might want to talk to him about the case. Reyes and Beltran said they did not receive HGH from Galea.
