In this Oct. 1, 2013, file photo, New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez arrives at the offices of Major League Baseball in New York.
New York Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriguez’s ban from Major League Baseball over charges of using performance-enhancing drugs was upheld Saturday, but reduced to 162 games from 211 following Rodriguez’s appeal.
An independent arbitrator agreed with most of the original suspension Rodriguez received in August, USA Today reports, the longest suspension in baseball history for doping.
The MLB has accused A-Rod of using performance-enhance drugs from 2009 to 2012, making him a repeat offender after he admitted to taking banned substances while playing for the Rangers from 2001 to 2003.
Rodriguez has maintained a defiant stance throughout the investigation, and said he will appeal the ruling in a federal court.
“The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one,” Rodriguez said. “This is one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.”
The suspension will cost Rodriguez $25 million in salary, and he will be ineligible to return to the field until 2015.