Alex Rodriguez, long-time superstar of Major League Baseball's (MLB) New York Yankees, has paid his cousin nearly US $1 million in exchange for silence regarding his performance enhancing drug (PED) use.

The information was taken from documents filed last week in the U.S. District Course for the Southern District of Florida in June 2013. Rodriguez was paying his cousin, Yuri Sucart, to stay silent about his illegal PED use.

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In August of that same year, Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games due to his involvement in the Biogenesis drug scandal. This also resulted in the suspension of 13 other major league players.

Rodriguez's suspension was upheld on January 2011, with the length later reduced to the entire 2014 season.

Sucart was involved in the Biogenesis scandal as well. He was the supplier of the illegal PEDs, as identified by Rodrigues.

According to the court filing, Sucart's former attorney, Jeffrey Sonn, demanded US $5 million on behalf of his client.

The filing said that Rodriguez entered into a confidential settlement with Sucart on June 5, 2013, paying his cousin one payment of US $700,000, followed by three more payments totaling US $200,000.

Patrick Sullivan, the prosecutor in the case against Sucart, suggested that Rodriguez might be called as a witness against his cousin.

"[Rodriguez] has a prominent role in the government's proof of Count 1 and Count 2 conspiracies to distribute testosterone and human growth hormone," Sullivan said in the court papers.

Rodriguez' 162-game suspension ended with the recent conclusion of the World Series. He is said to be working out a return to the Yankees, as his contract still stipulates one more year of playing slated for the 2015 season.

Since the event and his suspension, he has not spoken publicly.

However Ron Berkowitz, Rodriguez's spokesman, said that one day he will have something to say about it.

Tagsalex rodriguez, mlb, PED, Yuri Sucart