FanPost

Love Him Or Hate Him, A-Rod Deserves His Due Process

There may not be a more polarizing figure in sports than Alex Rodriguez. So, maybe he isn't a "Good Guy". Really, that's okay. The sports landscape is littered with athletes who would never be in the running for a Nice Guy Award. But we still cling to the hope that our athletes, especially our superstars, are somehow these amazingly wonderful people. Maybe it is the child in all of us that yearns for the innocent days of sports. Or, at the very least, how we perceived that innocence when we were young. Maybe it is because we want our children to not be disappointed at a time when they are still young enough to have heroes.

But here's the truth. Athletes are people. They are people just like you and me. They have good days. They have bad days. And some of them, like Alex Rodriguez, just aren't nice. But regardless of any of these facts, no one should ever be able to deny anyone else due process.

As news of A-Rod's unprecedented suspension came down yesterday from Major League Baseball, many social media sites lit up with both defenses and attacks on the embattled Yankee Third Baseman. Many of them implored him to just walk away from the game. Others talked of losing respect for the Yankees if they were going to allow A-Rod to play.

The bottom line is that there is a process. It was set in place to govern both the league and the Players Union in maters such as this. And the Court Of Public Opinion should never be allowed to overrule the judicial process. A-Rod had a chance to negotiate a settlement with MLB. Whether or not an agreement couldn't be reached because of his arrogance is a story for another time. The legacy of Alex Rodriguez, no matter how tarnished it appears to be, cannot be written until the dust settles on this latest scandal, if not his career. Bud Selig issued a suspension he deemed fit for the crimes he believes were committed by A-Rod. And, by the rules, Rodriguez has the right to an appeal. And the rule stipulates that a player can play until the appeal is ruled upon. Rodriguez was vilified prior to yesterdays's game at US Cellular field for having such a wide grin and laughing while going about his business preparing for his season debut for the New York Yankees. But can you really blame him. Through this appeal process, the baseball diamond is his only refuge. It's the only place he can go, for three hours at a time, and clear his head of all that is going on around him. It is his shelter from this massive storm. That is, until a ruling is made on his appeal.

This isn't a defense of Alex Rodriguez. Nor is it a condemnation of his actions. Rather, it is a call to respect the process. It may not be perfect, but it's the only process we have. In the end, A-Rod will be judged. Until then, the player is only doing what is afforded to him. Right or wrong, it is what so many players before him fought to gain. Imagine if Shoeless Joe Jackson could have appealed? So maybe A-Rod isn't a nice guy. Not being a good person doesn't strip any one of their rights.

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