UPDATE: Chapman will not face criminal charges, according to Rafael Olmeda of the Miami Sun Sentinel.
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When Aroldis Chapman arrived in New York last month after coming over in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, the Yankees were immediately under scrutiny since the closer was under investigation by the MLB for his alleged involvement in a domestic violence incident earlier in the offseason.
Yankees' owner Hal Steinbrenner told Joel Sherman of the New York Post shortly after the deal that he "approved the trade after significant thought and research, as I do with any significant trade."
On Wednesday he made his first public comments on the controversial transaction.
"I guess what I would say is, in this country, when allegations are brought against a person, that person is completely innocent until proven otherwise. Not the other way around," Steinbrenner said at the MLB's quarterly owners' meetings, via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. "I think we should keep that in mind right now. A lot of thought was put into it, but the benefits for the organization as a player, if you just look at the baseball side of it, [there's] tremendous upside, needless to say."
While domestic violence is truly a sensitive subject, especially with the public and media putting the spotlight on its horrors in recent years, Steinbrenner makes a good point. That's not to say the trade wasn't morally questionable, but Chapman is indeed currently innocent - as deemed by the law and the pending MLB investigation). In fact, The Associated Press reported back in December that the police have closed the domestic violence case involving Chapman due to "insufficient evidence."
Chapman's girlfriend, Cristina Barnea, told police that the star closer pushed her, put his hands around her neck and choked her during an argument, which was broken up by family members at his home. Chapman allegedly fired eight gunshots in his garage later on in the night.
However, the police did not find any physical injuries sustained by Barnea. On Chapman's side of the story, he "poked" his girlfriend on the shoulder and she fell to the ground while yelling. Barnea's brother then pushed Chapman to the ground and then Chapman left the house. Barnea's brother refused to provide a statement to investigators regarding the incident.
Although the case is closed amongst authorities, the MLB is still reviewing evidence from the alleged incident. The league has the power to suspend Chapman if it sees fit under the new domestic violence policy, regardless of the case's legal outcome. (I questioned the Yankees' decision to name Chapman the closer before learning his fate from the MLB earlier this month.)
The legal case was closed on Dec. 8 and the Yankees went ahead and acquired Chapman about three weeks later. The Los Angeles Dodgers had an agreement with the Reds to acquire Chapman on Dec. 7 at the MLB Winter Meetings, but LA reportedly called off the deal after discovering the domestic violence case involving the pitcher.
However, rumors suggest the MLB may not possess enough evidence to significantly discipline Chapman, and there's even a possibility he may not get suspended at all.
Here's the reality of the entire situation for all the rightists and leftists out there: the Yankees' trade for Chapman was morally questionable (and perhaps irresponsible) even though the legal case was closed. One could even say New York blatantly disrespected the MLB's oversight on the issue since Commissioner Rob Manfred hadn't yet made a ruling. However, Chapman, despite how many perceive him following the alleged incident, is innocent (pending further evidence) and should not be deemed otherwise by the public unless more information were to surface to support his guilt.
