MANHATTAN — The FBI and Major League Baseball are investigating Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez for his alleged participation in illegal poker games in Los Angeles and Florida, according to several news reports.
Star Magazine reported in July that the Yankees third basemen was allegedly at a game at the Beverly Hills home of record executive Cody Leibel, where the magazine reports that cocaine was present and a fight ensued, the New York Times reported.
Rodriguez reportedly had previously been involved in games against actors Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the Times said.
“We take this very seriously and have been investigating this matter since the initial investigation,” the league said in a statement released on Wednesday. The statement also said that the commissioner’s office is expected to interview A-Rod. The meeting has not been scheduled.
A-Rod spokesman Richard Rubenstein told the Daily News that Star's story about the Beverly Hills game was inaccurate.
"The story contains numerous factual inaccuracies and Alex looks forward to cooperating with MLB in their investigation," Rubenstein said in a statement.
The paper also quoted a professional poker player who was allegedly at the Beverly Hills game who denied A-Rod was even there.
Yankees management had told A-Rod to stay away from card games six years ago, the News said, but the league never officially warned him.
Major League officials told the News that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
