Taking performance-enhancing drugs and lying about his age apparently did not suffice for Miguel Tejada. The former American League MVP has been suspended for purchasing shares of the Gigantes del Cibao franchise of the Dominican Winter League while he was still an active member of the Aguilas Cibaenas, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.
One would be hard pressed to find a more boneheaded decision by an athlete. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Mark Townsend, Tejada’s latest blunder broke a pair of rules. It is a “conflict of interest,” and “it’s against league rules.” A report by Dionisio Soldevilla on MLB.com, translated into English, has the details:
Tejada played for Cibao Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League and admitted earlier this month that three years ago bought the 72% stake of the company that ran the franchise for the city of San Francisco de Macoris.
This is an unfortunate mistake by the former All-Star, who has suffered a severely damaged reputation since his days of stardom in the early 2000s. Once one of the best shortstops in baseball, Tejada compiled five consecutive years of 100-plus RBI, from 2000-2004. He also earned a reputation as one of the most durable players in the game, playing in all 162 games from 2001-2006.
Since his prime, he has been involved in a number of controversies, including being named in the Mitchell Report in connection to steroids. In 2009, he was charged with lying to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, later pleading guilty. Most recently, he was suspended for 105 games by MLB on Aug. 17, 2013, for testing positive for Adderall. It was his second positive test for amphetamines.
In 2008, Tejada was also involved in a controversy regarding his age. He was questioned about his birth date in an E:60 interview and later admitted to being two years older than he was officially listed.
Now he is involved in this recent scandal. What will Tejada do next to tarnish his reputation? His impressive career numbers are beginning to take a backseat to all the mistakes he has made throughout his career.
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