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The support for Alex Rodriguez continues as New York State senators Adriano Espaillat and Ruben Diaz, assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa and city council member Ydanis Rodriguez are all expected to join the 50-60 supporters that have camped outside MLB headquarters in order to support A-Rod.
"I called them and they've been reading about what I've been doing, and I said to them ‘You should come out and show your support.' And they said, ‘We will,'" said Hispanics Across America president Fernando Mateo.
Espaillat and Rodriguez were also invited to a press conference, but Rodriguez doesn't plan to attend because he feels that the real issue is MLB, rather than just Alex Rodriguez and his appeal. Councilman Rodriguez's stance is against the pro-steroid culture that still exists within baseball. If MLB continues to cultivate such an environment then they have no place judging those that they had a hand in creating.
"It is time for Major League Baseball to end the hypocritical practices in their stance on steroids: rightfully condemning players here in the United States as poor role models for our young athletes, but perpetuating a system reliant upon their use in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere," Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. "Countless aspiring baseball players in the Caribbean attend major league camps where trainers, coaches and teammates point to steroids as the way out of poverty and into the major leagues. For every player that makes it, many more are left with their lives shattered and the effects of drugs plaguing their bodies for the rest of their lives. If major league baseball would truly like to assist the young athletes of countries like the DR, they could put their money where their PR campaign is and invest in drug awareness and prevention at these camps to keep kids safe."
HAA has also created a website – supportarod13.com – with an online petition form against the 211-game suspension that Rodriguez is facing. The site also has a section for donation, which for to Hispanics Across America.
Despite their continued support of A-Rod, HAA wants their message to be clear:
"HAA continues to preach that we're not defending the usage of any sort of performance-enhancing drugs, but we just want those that are found guilty or been accused of using PEDs to be treated fairly across the board, and that's why we continue to support Alex," said HAA executive director Sergio Rodriguez.
This whole thing is turning into a real circus if actual real life politicians are going to start showing up on site. Even his supporters don't seem convinced that he's innocent, but of course, the issue is how big of a punishment should he get.