Last week, a veteran infielder made his return to the team that he started with. Applause won over the stadium as he led off the first inning, sporting the same No. 7 jersey he wore as a much younger player. He’s slower, now. Not quite the same player. To the fans, however, he was a hero who had come home.
All this would have been a very positive and heartwarming scene, except for one thing.
Nine months prior, José Reyes allegedly grabbed his wife’s throat and shoved her into a sliding glass door of a Hawaiian hotel room. According to police reports, she suffered visible injuries. Reyes was arrested with a misdemeanor as he waited to learn how his situation would be handled by Major League Baseball’s commissioner, Rob Manfred.
In light of that, the cheers heard across Citi Field just don’t sound right to me.
When Manfred took office, the case of Ray Rice’s domestic abuse incident and the NFL’s overwhelmingly lenient response dominated headlines. Sports Illustrated had also ran a longform piece about former MLB all-star Milton Bradley and how his repeated episodes of violence and abuse against his wife contributed to the deterioration of her health and eventual death. At the time, Major League Baseball had no domestic abuse policy in place, however it became clear that developing one would be a high priority for Manfred.
An ideal policy is one that recognizes the severity of domestic abuse. Athletes are public figures and role-models, and allowing one to visibly suffer little consequence sends the wrong message. Milton Bradley played for over a dozen teams during his career, and if any one of them recognized that his off-the-field problems were bigger than baseball, they failed to act on it.
A good policy would also recognize many of the nuances of abusive situations, both recurring patterns and individual differences. One would balance the tension between supporting a victim and realizing that victims are often unlikely to press charges and often defend their abusers.
A policy I’d be in favor of would also recognize that domestic abusers require their own rehabilitation, that it’s a long process, and that it’s best done far away from the public spotlight.
When Major League Baseball announced its policy, it immediately gained a lot of praise. It permitted the commissioner to exercise whatever punishment he deemed appropriate after being presented with the scenario. Manfred demonstrated a willingness to consult with different groups to investigate allegations and determine punishments.
The policy’s strength would be put to the test in mere months.
In the off-season following 2015, three of baseball’s most high profile players were involved in separate domestic abuse incidents. In addition to Reyes, hard-throwing pitcher Aroldis Chapman faced some serious allegations of choking his girlfriend and firing off eight rounds of gunshots in a garage. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who were close to signing Chapman at the time backed away from the deal. They would shortly learn that one of their own players, Yasiel Puig, was involved in an altercation at a Miami bar.
Puig’s incident ultimately appeared to be a bar fight that got out of hand, and not an attack against his sister like some sources initially claimed. Major League Baseball declined to punish him while suspending Chapman for 30 games and Reyes for 51 games. While the Dodgers and many other teams were uninterested in having Chapman’s history of abuse on their team, the New York Yankees didn’t seem to mind and signed him for less money.
Watching Reyes’ triumphant return to Citi Field doesn’t sit quite right with me. I believe in rehabilitation, even for domestic abusers, and I think it can be possible for people to learn healthier coping mechanisms and move on from past episodes. I just think it seems like Reyes and Chapman are on the field entirely too soon.
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The Mets were able to pick up José Reyes because the Colorado Rockies, Reyes’ team during the incident, were quick to respond. Before Manfred announced his punishment, the Rockies determined that he would not be their shortstop during the upcoming season. The baseball gods must have smiled upon that decision, allowing his rookie replacement Trevor Story to start off the season on a home run hitting rampage. The Rockies designated Reyes for assignment, meaning that if no other team claimed him from waivers, they would be able to discharge him from their roster.
The Mets claimed Reyes, and because of the mechanics of waivers, the Rockies are footing most of the bill. Reyes is their highest paid player and isn’t even on the team.
Watching Reyes’ triumphant return to Citi Field doesn’t sit quite right with me. I believe in rehabilitation, even for domestic abusers, and I think it can be possible for people to learn healthier coping mechanisms and move on from past episodes. I just think it seems like Reyes and Chapman are on the field entirely too soon.
We haven’t heard much from Chapman’s girlfriend or Reyes’ wife since the incidents, nor should we. They deserve privacy. What we do know is that domestic abuse is a traumatic situation that takes a long time to heal from. It deeply impacts the lives of victims years, often decades, after abuse has occurred. We don’t know the story of recovery for these women or what that looks like. What we do know is that less than a year later, Chapman throws out of the Yankees’ bullpen and Reyes bats leadoff in Queens.
Major League Baseball’s domestic abuse policy is still in its rookie season. There are a lot of kinks to work out. It would be great if teams like the Rockies or Dodgers, who backed away from talented players due to conscience, didn’t have to continue to pay them; affording the Mets a cheap but troubled option for a third baseman. If Alex Rodriguez can be suspended a full year for steroid use, shouldn’t the punishment for something that harms others more directly be even more severe? Some things are simply bigger than baseball.
Last week, José Reyes made his return to New York City, where his career began. Applause won over City Field. New York Mets fans were reunited with a ballplayer who once felt like family all while overlooking the story of José Reyes’ actual family.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Source: 30dB.com – Domestic Violence and Sports
“Unfortunately baseball is not the only sport where its players occasionally feel they are immune to behaving like human beings. Domestic violence and sports is highly negative in the bastion of sports smack talk, social media. Let’s hope the old boys running the various leagues are hearing their fans.” — Howard K. 36db
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