MLB will look into controversial comments by Houston Astros official
Major League Baseball will look into comments by a Houston Astros official that apparently made light of a star player's domestic violence suspension which was made public Monday night in a Sports Illustrated article.
After initially calling a Sports Illustrated story "an attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist," the Astros issued updated statements Tuesday afternoon from team owner Jim Crane and assistant general manager Brandon Taubman.
The first-person account from SI writer Stephanie Apstein described a scene in the Astros clubhouse in which Taubman "turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, 'Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so (expletive) glad we got Osuna!'”
Osuna, the Astros closer, was suspended 75 games last season after he allegedly assaulted the mother of his then-3-year-old child.
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"Domestic violence is extraordinarily serious and everyone in baseball must use care to not engage in any behavior — whether intentional or not — that could be construed as minimizing the egregiousness of an act of domestic violence," MLB said in a statement issued a little over five hours before the first pitch of Game 1 between the Astros and Washington Nationals.
The Astros issued an apology on Tuesday from Taubman in which he said he realized his comments were "unprofessional and inappropriate."
"My overexuberance in support of a player has been misinterpreted as a demonstration of a regressive attitude about an important social issue. Those that know me know that I am a progressive and charitable member of the community, and a loving and committed husband and father. I hope that those who do not know me understand that the Sports Illustrated article does not reflect who I am or my values. I am sorry if anyone was offended by my actions.”
In his statement, Crane reiterated the Astros' commitment to "create awareness and support on the issue of domestic violence."
However, MLB acknowledged the Astros have disputed Sports Illustrated's characterization of the incident.