BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — A former associate of Biogenesis head Tony Bosch said he turned down a $125,000 offer from Major League Baseball for documents said to implicate players in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
In an interview broadcast Thursday on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Porter Fischer also said an additional dozen athletes from different sports — whose names have not been made public — were involved in the now-closed Florida anti-aging clinic.
Fischer, 49, admitted giving documents to the Miami News Times, which published a story in January detailing the alleged purchase of performance-enhancing drugs by Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, 2012 All-Star game MVP Melky Cabrera, 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon and 2011 AL championship series MVP Nelson Cruz.
Others were later implicated in media reports, including Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, who agreed this week to a 65-game suspension. Baseball’s probe of other players is ongoing.
Fischer said he received $5,500 in cash from MLB’s investigation. The network reported he rejected the larger sum because it wasn’t enough to restart his life.
“Once I turned them down for the $125,000, two days later they wrote me a letter instructing me not to destroy any documents and to keep them around,” he said. “Then two days after that on the 24th of March, I was transporting evidence back to the state investigator for him to follow up on some criminal activity, and my car was broken into and four boxes of evidence were taken.
“I’m still amenable to working with them,” he added. “Because of this, now my employment opportunities are limited. I feel that I have something good to say. Just like anything else, I feel like my cooperation and compensation should go hand in hand or at least be evaluated.”
Fisher said when he first started working with Bosch, he thought Bosch was a doctor. Bosch’s failure to pay him money he was owed caused him to give documents to the New Times. At the time, he decided against contacting police or prosecutors.
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Brett steps down
as Royals’ hitting coach
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — George Brett took over as the Kansas City Royals’ interim hitting coach with the rudderless team mired in an eight-game skid. He leaves with them showing signs of life. The Hall of Famer announced Thursday that he was stepping down from his on-field job and returning to the Royals’ front office, where he’s served as vice president of baseball operations since retiring as a player following the 1993 season.
Rivera honored with cowboy boots
The way Mariano Rivera helped kick the Texas Rangers out of the playoffs, their parting gift was appropriate. The Rangers honored Rivera before his final regular-season game in Texas, presenting baseball’s career saves leader with a pair of cowboy boots inscribed with the New York Yankees logo, his name and No. 42. He was also given a cowboy hat before Thursday’s series finale, and the team donated a $5,000 check for the Mariano Rivera Foundation that helps needy children.
Jeter feels fine, ‘could play today’
Yankees captain Derek Jeter believes he’ll be ready to play when eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday. “I’ll play whenever they tell me. I think I could play today,” Jeter said after running bases before New York’s series finale at Texas on Thursday. “I feel good. I didn’t feel my leg, which is good.”