On Tuesday it was reported the FBI was investigating the St. Louis Cardinals for their alleged role in hacking the Houston Astros' computer database. Now the famed franchise is investigating itself.
Cardinals' CEO Bill DeWitt and general manager John Mozeliak released a statement on Wednesday to address the allegations surrounding the organization. They also announced an internal investigation is underway and they are assisting the FBI in the probe.
"These are serious allegations that don't reflect who we are as an organization," DeWitt said. "We are committed to getting to the bottom of this matter as soon as possible, and if anyone within our organization is determined to be in involved in anything inappropriate, they will be held accountable."
"The alleged conduct has no place in our game," Mozeliak added. "We hold ourselves to the highest standards in every facet of our organization. It has been that way forever and is certainly true today. We are committed to finding out what happened. To the extent we can substantiate that these allegations have merit, we will take appropriate action against anyone involved."
These were the first comments issued since the investigation was made public, aside from the Cardinals and Astros acknowledging they were cooperating with federal officials.
There have been few updates on the matter, but last night it was determined the hack was traced to a home in Jupiter, Fla., where the Cardinals conduct spring training, according to Jeff Passon of Yahoo! Sports, and that the investigation is focusing on "four to five individuals within the Cardinals' organization," according to David Barron and Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.
ESPN reported the investigation was nearing its conclusion, so the Cardinals could know their fate in the very near future.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said he would wait until the end of the investigation to issue the proper discipline, if needed.
