Yankee A-Rod Donated How Much To Charity? Athletes' Charities Post Poor Donation Totals, Alex Rodriguez In Trouble Again?

Alex Rodriguez won’t play baseball until maybe July, but that hasn’t kept him out of the headlines so far this year.

Following another round of performance-enhancing drug accusations, Rodriguez is once again at the center of controversy. This time it involves his charity foundation, which only donated one percent, or $90, to causes, according to a Boston Globe report.

The A-Rod Family Foundation provided just one percent of its proceeds to charity in its first year of existence in 2006, and subsequently failed to file financial reports to the IRS, essentially losing its tax exempt status. The foundation's Web site still claims it is a non-profit.

The $90 was given to a Miami Little League Baseball team after Rodriguez and rapper Jay-Z organized a celebrity poker tournament. Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, ended up donating $5,000 to his self-titled scholarship fund.

Much of the blame may rest on athlete-headlined charities using extravagant and costly events to reel in donations. Once all the expenses are paid off, very little is left over for the intended cause.

The Globe’s expose also pointed to examples of Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin’s golf event in 2010 raising more than $53,000, but just 17 percent benefiting a good cause.

There are some good examples though. The recently traded NFL quarterback Alex Smith, and his Alex Smith Foundation, contributed 91 percent of its earnings, and New York Knick Carmelo Anthony’s nonprofit donating 87 percent.

Whether or not Rodriguez has a reasonable excuse for his charities shortcomings may not matter to Yankee fans, who know full well how much he hauls in every season. The 37-year-old three-time MVP has five years and $114 million left on the $250 million contract he signed with New York in 2007.

Rodriguez had major hip surgery and is currently rehabbing, and could miss all of 2013.