 |
| Photo: Bleacher Report |
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman accepted a 30-game suspension from Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, for his part in a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend last Octobera. Chapman released the following statement:
"Today, I accepted a 30 game suspension from Major League Baseball resulting from my actions on October 30, 2015. I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgement with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry. The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distraction that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates, and most importantly, my family. I have learned from this matter, and I look forward to being part of the Yankees' quest for a 28th World Series title. Out of respect for my teammates and my family, I will have no further comment."
According to reports, Chapman allegedly choked and pushed his girlfriend and then fired eight gunshots in his garage, at the couple's home in south Florida. However, the Broward County state's attorney declined to file charges against him and the matter was dropped, at least from a legal standpoint. However, last August, Major League Baseball and the Players Association agreed to a new policy leaving disciplinary actions for domestic violence incidents, at the commissioner's discretion.
The Yankees can certainly live with a 30-game ban, and doing so makes them winners in their acquisition of Chapman this offseason. When the Yankees first made the trade with the Cincinnati Reds for the four-time all star, some speculated that Chapman would be handed a lengthy suspension, and that the team would regret their decision. But what happened Tuesday, puts all that talk to bed. 30 games is nothing in a 162-game season. Barring any setbacks, Chapman will basically miss April, but be with the team for a majority of the season and the stretch run.
It's interesting to see the commissioner come down on a player who hasn't been charged with a crime, though. We've all heard that "The punishment should fit the crime," but if no crime has been committed (and legally, one hasn't in this particular instance), then why should anyone be punished?
Unfortunately, the Yankees and Chapman don't have any room to argue on that front. The domestic abuse policy was agreed upon by baseball and the players, and everyone involved must live with it. It should be noted, however, that an appeals process is available to any player facing suspension, and the commissioner will allow players to defend themselves. Chapman, however, bypassed that option with hopes of moving on beyond this ugly episode.
