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ESPN Senior Writer- T.J. Quinn joined ESPN in November 2007 as an investigative reporter for ESPN's Enterprise Unit, which is charged with developing long-form, investigative features to be presented across multiple platforms.
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ESPN Senior Writer- Investigative reporter for ESPN.com
- 10 years at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun, who has repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs, refused to answer questions during a recent meeting with Major League Baseball about his connection to Tony Bosch and the Biogenesis clinic in Miami, sources told "Outside the Lines."
The meeting took place June 29, a source said, and is one of several that MLB has conducted with players connected to the clinic. A source said New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has not been interviewed, but a meeting is expected to take place within the week.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com that Rodriguez will meet with MLB on Friday but said the injured slugger likely will refuse to answer questions. The source also told ESPNNewYork.com that 10 players already have met with MLB but have refused to answer questions.
Commissioner Bud Selig's office is expected to suspend Braun and Rodriguez, along with as many as 20 players sometime after next week's All-Star break, for their roles in the Biogenesis case, several sources told "Outside the Lines." As OTL reported, MLB started building cases against the players last month after Bosch agreed to cooperate with investigators.
The question is the length of the suspensions.
Sources said the commissioner's office was considering 100-game bans for Braun and Rodriguez, the punishment for a second offense, even though neither player was previously suspended for violating MLB's drug policy.
The argument, one source said, would be that they -- and possibly other players -- committed multiple offenses by receiving performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch and by lying about it.
Players association executive director Michael Weiner expressed displeasure that information has continued to trickle out as the investigation remains ongoing.
"The leaking of confidential information to members of the media interferes with the thoroughness and credibility of the Biogenesis investigation," Weiner said in a statement Thursday. "These repeated leaks threaten to harm the integrity of the Joint Drug Agreement and call into question the required level of confidentiality needed to operate a successful prevention program. The Players want a clean game and they demand a testing program that is not only the toughest in professional sports, but one that guarantees each player due process rights accompanied by strict confidentiality provisions.
"As I stated last month, the Players Association remains in contact with the Commissioner's Office regarding the investigation, and they continue to assure us that no decisions regarding discipline will be made until the investigation is complete."
Bosch's attorneys have met repeatedly with MLB officials over the past month, turning over numerous documents to substantiate his connection to the players named in company documents, sources have said.
While sources would not detail what Bosch has turned over, he was expected to provide phone, text, email and other records.
Representatives of Braun could not be reached Tuesday by ESPN.
Rodriguez, playing in minor league games as part of his rehab from offseason hip surgery, told reporters Tuesday that he is unaware of his scheduled meeting with MLB.
"Not that I know of, and if I knew, I couldn't share with you guys," Rodriguez said. "We've been fully instructed to not comment on that case."
Rodriguez did acknowledge the scope of the investigation, however.
"There's a lot of players involved, I know that," he said.
ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews and Chris Girandola contributed to this report.