Former Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia was given a permanent ban for a third positive PED test recently. Last week he claimed that he was set up by Major League Baseball and that they were out to get him in what he calls a “witch hunt.” He claimed that the league fabricated his second and third positive drug tests to do so and that the MLBPA did not sufficiently defend him.
Today his lawyer held a press conference, with Mejia by his side, and he did not back off of the claims. Vowing that Mejia will fight his ban in court, attorney Vincent White said that he has spoken with someone who has “tangled with MLB before” with respect to PEDs and who claims that Major League Baseball works with third-party contractors to hack players’ social media accounts and use the information it finds in PED investigations. White said this witness was not a former player, but had been involved in previous league investigations.
Major League Baseball investigators came under intense scrutiny for their behavior in the course of the Biogenesis investigation, with one having a sexual relationship with a witness and others purchasing documents alleged to be stolen in an effort to get Alex Rodriguez and the other players caught up in that scandal. The sort of accusations White is leveling here, however, are something else altogether.
For its part, Major League Baseball released this statement a short time ago:
“As we have said before, no representatives of Major League Baseball met or spoke with Jenrry Mejia regarding any of his drug violations. In fact, MLB coordinates all 40-man roster player interviews with the MLBPA and they are present at the interview as the player’s union representative.
“Sadly, the comments made by Mr. Mejia and his representatives today continue a pattern of athletes hiring aggressive lawyers and making wild, unsupported allegations about the conduct of others in an effort to clear their names. Mr. Mejia’s record demonstrates that he was a repeated user of banned performance-enhancing substances. As such, per our collectively bargained rules, he has no place as an active player in the game today.”
It’s Mejia and White’s move. If they feel like they have the goods, one would assume they have no choice but to file a lawsuit. Major League Baseball, however, doesn’t seem too worried.
