Alex Rodriguez's
wife filed for divorce Monday, calling her husband an
adulterer who "emotionally abandoned his wife and children."
"The marriage of
the parties is irretrievably broken because of the
husband's extramarital affairs and other marital
misconduct," according to Cynthia Rodriguez's petition
for dissolution of marriage, filed in the family
division of Miami-Dade County, Fla., circuit
court.
The New York
Yankees third baseman, who earned his 12th All-Star
selection Sunday, has refused to comment on his relationship
with Madonna, who denied any romantic involvement with
the slugger in a statement posted Sunday on
People.com.
"The petitioner
has exhausted every effort to salvage the marriage of
the parties," Cynthia Rodriguez said in the filing.
"However, Alex has emotionally abandoned his wife and
children and has left her with no choice but to
divorce him."
Rodriguez's
attorney in Miami, Ira M. Elegant, said he had not reviewed
the divorce petition but added, "As you know, anyone can pay
the filing fee and make allegations."
Elegant also
represents NBA star Shaquille O'Neal in his ongoing divorce
from his wife, Shaunie.
A telephone
message left for a Rodriguez spokesman Monday was not
immediately returned.
The couple, who
married in November 2002, have a $12 million six-bedroom
house in the upscale Miami suburb of Coral Gables. A company
run by a corporation controlled by Rodriguez bought an
apartment at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan for $7.4
million in July 2005.
Cynthia Rodriguez
has asked for primary custody of their two children as
well as child support and alimony.
Their two
daughters are Natasha Alexander, 3, and 2-month-old Ella
Alexander.
The filing comes
just days after the third baseman was linked to Madonna
in various media outlets. Cynthia Rodriguez later visited
the Paris home of rocker Lenny Kravitz, who said she
came to France to escape the media frenzy in New York
and denied anything improper.
Cynthia
Rodriguez's lawyer, Maurice Kutner, declined to elaborate on
the filing, which does not mention Madonna or any
other alleged paramours by name.
"Cynthia has made
it very clear to me that she wants to take the high
road and protect her children and herself. There's no
vindictiveness here," Kutner said. "She wants to
resolve the issues between Alex and herself in an
amicable fashion."
The couple has
had prenuptial agreement in place since October 3, 2002,
according to the divorce papers.
The divorce
petition was filed the day after Rodriguez hit his 536th
homer, tying Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle for 13th
place in the all-time rankings.
Rodriguez is in
the first season of a $275 million, 10-year contract with
the Yankees, a deal that allows him to earn up to $305
million. He made $185.45 million from 2001 to 2007
from his contracts with the Texas Rangers and Yankees.
(Curt Anderson, AP)
