Alex Rodriguez
Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Reuters

In a surprise interview with New York radio host Mike Francesa, embattled MLB star Alex Rodriguez emphatically stated that he was innocent of all charges levied against him by the league regarding his alleged ties to PED use and the BioGenesis lab. However, a leading body language expert claims that A-Rod was likely lying throughout the interview.

Just hours after abruptly leaving his arbitration hearing with MLB officials in the midst of the proceedings, Rodriguez granted an exclusive interview to Francesa, a WFAN radio host. During the interview, Rodriguez told Francesa definitively that he never used performance-enhancing drugs from 2010 to 2012, nor did he interfere in Major League Baseball’s investigation into Tony Bosch and his now-defunct BioGenesis clinic.

However, Susan Constantine, a noted body language expert and author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Body Language,” told NJ.com that Rodriguez likely lied to Francesa. "The real important part in all this is that, with a high level of certainty, he was lying," Constantine told NJ.com. "He is covering up at least some of the things that he's being accused of."

First, Constantine noted that A-Rod used evasive language when answering some of Francesa’s questions. For example, Rodriguez denied he was guilty of any of the league’s allegations and claimed that he never obstructed the league’s investigation. However, when asked if he was guilty of anything at all, Rodriguez said, “I feel like I should be there Opening Day.” Constantine believes that his answer indicates that he’s complicit in some degree of wrongdoing.

"He should have answered no," she told NJ.com. "He may not have done some of those things, but he did some things. Right there, he was caught dead in a lie."

Next, Constantine commented on Rodriguez’s mannerisms. Throughout the interview, Rodriguez looked squarely into Francesa’s eyes—a behavior common among those who are attempting to sway a person’s opinion rather than speak the truth. "People tend to lie more when they are locking eyes," she said.

Rodriguez was also lying when he described his exit from the arbitration hearing, according to Constantine. A-Rod claimed that he “lost [his] mind” during the courtroom tantrum, but his body language, which included a shoulder shrug and giggle, proved that he was being insincere.

"That was not a sincere comment," Constantine said. "He did not almost lose his mind."

On Wednesday, Rodriguez shocked the sports world by storming out of his arbitration hearing with Major League Baseball executives after learning that Commissioner Bud Selig would not appear in court to explain the reasoning behind A-Rod’s 211-game suspension. Shortly after his explosive exit, A-Rod released a statement explaining the reasoning behind the move.

“I am disgusted with this abusive process, designed to ensure that the player fails,” Rodriguez said in the statement, via the New York Daily News. “This morning, after Bud Selig refused to come in and testify about his rationale for the unprecedented and totally baseless punishment he hit me with, the arbitrator selected by MLB and the Players Association refused to order Selig to come in and face me. The absurdity and injustice just became too much. I walked out and will not participate any further in this farce.”

Do you think Rodriguez lied to Francesa during Wednesday’s interview? Check out the footage below.