Reyes case will put MLB under microscope
New domestic violence policy tested for first time after ex-Blue Jay arrested
In what will be the first test of its new domestic violence policy, Major League Baseball is investigating former Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes, who was arrested Oct. 31 in Hawaii after allegedly assaulting his wife in their resort hotel room.
The arrest only became public Monday night when it was reported by Hawaii News Now, which cited sources saying police were called to the Four Seasons Resort in Maui, where Reyes was staying with his wife, Katherine Ramirez.
She allegedly told responding officers Reyes grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into a sliding glass balcony door, causing injuries to her thigh, neck and wrist, for which she was hospitalized.
Reyes, who was traded to the Colorado Rockies on July 28 after playing 2 1⁄2 seasons in Toronto, was released after posting $1,000 (U.S.) bail but barred from contacting his wife for three days.
The 32-year-old did not respond to a text from the Star on Tuesday. His agent, Peter Greenberg of the Legacy Agency, did not respond to an email requesting comment nor messages left at his office.
Since Reyes’s arrest occurred in the off-season, MLB has months to determine what kind of discipline, if any, to mete out. But their new domestic violence policy, implemented in August in the wake of high-profile incidents involving NFL players, allows the league to suspend players whether or not there is a criminal conviction.
After watching the NFL’s fumbling damage control of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson incidents in 2014, Major League Baseball and its players’ association hurried to establish its own policy that would provide a clear protocol for dealing with such cases, while giving the league license to suspend a player — and providing for the player a well-defined means of appeal — separate from the criminal justice system.
The policy could have allowed the league to place Reyes on paid “administrative leave” for up to seven days while it conducted its own investigation, if they determined letting him play “would result in substantial or irreparable harm to either the club or Major League Baseball.”
After conducting its investigation, the league can suspend Reyes, regardless of criminal proceedings. The policy, which also includes the potential of mandatory treatment and counseling, does not outline minimum or maximum lengths of suspension.
The Rockies released a statement Tuesday morning saying they were “extremely disappointed and concerned” to learn of the allegations.
“We continue to gather information and will address this matter appropriately, in accordance with Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.”
Reyes could be the first player disciplined under MLB’s new policy, so his case is sure to be closely monitored.
“This is an opportunity for the MLB to not only adhere to its policy, but to understand that they have an influence on our culture,” said Ruth Glenn, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Washington, D.C. “This is an opportunity for MLB to say to society at large, ‘We are one of the organizations that will not tolerate any instance of violence against women.’ ”
Todd Minerson, executive director of the Toronto-based White Ribbon organization — which campaigns against violence against women — said while the language in MLB’s new policy is encouraging “the proof will be in the pudding.”
“We’ve seen great policies on paper, but we haven’t seen them actually enacted to their full extent,” he said. “I think the response from MLB in the next two to three days will really be a measure of how committed they are to the actual policy they agreed on with the players’ association.”
What sends the strongest message in professional sports, Minerson said, is loss of playing time and salary, so if someone is found guilty of offences covered by the new policy, they should be suspended.
“Playing in these leagues is a privilege — it’s not a right — and if the league sets up these kinds of policies they have to implement for them to have any meaning.”