Major League Baseball Players Association head Tony Clark has made his first public response to efforts aimed at ousting his chief negotiator, issuing a statement from the eight-man executive subcommittee appearing to reject insurgent lawyer Harry Marino.

Clark said the subcommittee authorized him to release a statement saying: "We still have issues to discuss, but one thing clear among the MLB executive subcommittee members is that this is no longer a Harry Marino discussion, in any respect."

Marino, a former minor leaguer who headed successful efforts to unionize players with minor league contracts, claimed union members are being bullied and retaliated against for expressing their opinions for change.