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MLB Doles Out Harshest Response Yet To Player’s Domestic Violence

FILE — In this Aug. 16, 2015, file photo, Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes watches from dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Denver. CREDIT: DAVE ZALUBOWSKI, AP
FILE — In this Aug. 16, 2015, file photo, Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes watches from dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Denver. CREDIT: DAVE ZALUBOWSKI, AP

Jose Reyes, the shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, has been suspended 52 games without pay by Major League Baseball (MLB) for domestic violence.

Reyes’ suspension stems from an incident last Halloween, when he was arrested for assaulting Katherine, his wife and the mother of his three daughters, in a hotel room in Maui, Hawaii.

According to reports, Reyes and Katherine were fighting loudly during the afternoon, prompting hotel security to be called. Security then called police, and Katherine told the responding officer that Reyes “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

She was taken to the hospital for injuries to her thigh, neck, and wrist. She stopped cooperating with authorities, and the charges against Reyes were dropped last month.

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The suspension is retroactive to February 23, when Reyes was first placed on paid administrative leave. He will not be eligible to play for his team until June 1, and has to pay pack the salary he has received so far this season. Overall, Reyes will lose about $7.06 million in salary, plus $100,000 he is required to donate to a domestic violence charity.

Arrest Of Star Player Will Test MLB’s Commitment On Domestic ViolenceSports by CREDIT: David Zalubowski, AP Jose Reyes, the shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, was arrested on Halloween…thinkprogress.orgUntil this year, the MLB had never suspended a player for domestic violence incidents, despite numerous arrests and accusations. But last year, after the NFL received so much scrutiny for its handling of the Ray Rice case, the MLB revamped its policies for domestic violence and sexual assault. Now, players can be punished by the MLB even if they are not convicted by the legal system.

Reyes is the second player to be suspended under the new rules. Yankees’ pitcher Aldonis Chapman was previously suspended for 30 games after accusations surfaced that he choked his girlfriend in a fight that was so intense that she hid in the bushes while Chapman fired eight “warning shots.”

Chapman returned in pinstripes last week, and received a warm welcome.

Reyes is not going to appeal his suspension. The 33-year-old released a statement on Friday apologizing for “everything that has happened,” though he did not get into specifics, and thanking Katherine for remaining by his side:

I want to apologize for everything that has happened. I am sorry to the Rockies organization, my teammates, all the fans and most of all my family.

I am happy to put this all in the past and get back to doing what I love the most, playing baseball.

My wife Katherine has remained by my side throughout everything and for that I will be forever grateful.

He also retweeted a comment from former MLB player Mike Cameron, which said that Reyes merely had a “bad moment in life.”

Of course, domestic violence is a much more complicated issue than a simple suspension can solve. The MLB told ThinkProgress in March that there are programs in place that go beyond punishment, and address education, treatment, and support options for players and their families in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault.

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Katherine, meanwhile, has remained with Reyes — something that is very common in abusive relationships — and just last week he wrote an ode to her on Instagram for Mother’s Day.

As for Reyes, according to ESPN reporter Buster Olney, there are teams interested in making a deal for him as long as the Rockies take responsibility for the majority of his current contract.

Reyes is a four-time MLB All-Star, but Olney reports that there are questions among MLB scouts about whether he still has the talent to play at an elite level. Unless a deal is made to send Reyes to another team quickly, he will likely head to the minor leagues once his suspension ends on June 1.