According to Yahoo Sports, Gordon’s suspension was announced only after he dropped his appeal over testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
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Enter Verlander, via his Twitter account: “This PED (s—) is killing me. If u test positive u need to not play. You shouldn’t be allowed to effect games while appealing.”
The All-Star and Cy Young Award-winner has a point, one that many have voiced while wondering when or if players would — or even could — self-police the situation: “If I’m clean, and you’re dirty, then that’s not fair.”
And, yet, MLB and the MLBPA have collectively bargained a system that affords a player who tests positive the right to continue playing while appealing his suspension.
Given how strict baseball’s drug-testing program is, it’s clear both sides want to err on the side of caution before bringing down a half-season hammer as MLB did on Gordon.
