Ex-Braves GM Banned For Life From Baseball: Reports

ATLANTA, GA — John Coppolella, the former general manager of the Atlanta Braves, has been banned for life from Major League Baseball for infractions the team committed in pursuing and signing foreign players, according to media reports. MLB also announced Tuesday that the Braves will forfeit rights to 13 foreign prospects, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

With the lifetime ban, Coppolella joins Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, two standout players accused of gambling who were banished from the game. MLB also suspended Gordon Blakeley, a Braves special assistant, for one year.

On Tuesday, MLB also barred the Braves from signing any international player for more than $10,000 during the 2019-20 signing period, and restricted the team from signing players in the next two signing periods for contracts with bonuses greater than $300,000, the AJC reported.

The highest-profile prospect the Braves will lose isinfielder Kevin Maitan, the AJC reported. In a statement, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred said the Braves' organization cooperated with the MLB's invrestigationn of the infractions, and the officials responsible are no longer with the team.

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Image: Patch