Suspending Chapman Sets a Scary Precedent

Major League Baseball is treading water in uncharted territories this offseason when it comes to the league’s newly enacted domestic violence policy. This is the first such policy in MLB and there are already three such cases that the league and Commissioner Rob Manfred have to decide on in just the first few months of its existence. Aroldis Chapman, Jose Reyes and Yasiel Puig have all been accused in some way, shape or form of domestic violence this winter and the league has threatened action in terms of suspensions and/or fines for all three of them because of it. Suspending Reyes is fine and suspending Puig is okay by me but in my opinion, and no it’s not because I am a Yankees fan, suspending Chapman would set a scary, scary precedent for the league.

I say it would set a scary precedent because the evidence is not there to support the fact that Chapman did anything “wrong” in the matter. Is he a jerk and an idiot? Absolutely, I’m not trying to downplay anything that he did or didn’t do and I’m definitely not for domestic violence in any capacity nor am I for shooting off guns inside your garage or home, 2^nd amendment be damned, with children in the house. What I am adamant about though is innocent until proven guilty and the prosecutors and police in Florida where the event occurred or didn’t occur haven’t proven a damn thing.

I’ll even take it one step further, the police and prosecutors in the state of Florida  have decided not to file charges whatsoever in the case of Chapman due to a lack of true and/or tangible evidence. There’s no evidence and there is conflicting reports of what happened that night by both parties. Pictures were taken by the police of Chapman’s girlfriend and no marks were found on her, not even a red mark, and the only thing Chapman did for 100% certainty was fire a gun that he owned inside of a house that he owned.

The police closed the case completely and this did not even come to light until almost three months later when the Los Angeles Dodgers did some digging around before acquiring the left-handed closer. If Chapman hit his girlfriend then shame on him and he should be punished by the law, by the league and by his maker but you can’t punish him in my opinion just because you think he did it. He may have done it, and if he did he’s an asshole and he’s dead to me as a person, but you know there is that possibility that maybe he didn’t do it as well. No one is talking about that side of the story though even though the evidence supports it. Suspending him, even though if it were for more than 45 days it would benefit the Yankees, would set a scary precedent for the league and it would make the league and its domestic violence policy loses all credibility and gains a black eye. Again, in my opinion.