Hal Steinbrenner says Aroldis Chapman innocent until proven guilty
New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner came to the defense of his closer Wednesday, saying Aroldis Chapman is “innocent until proven otherwise.”
Chapman was involved in a domestic dispute in October. During the dispute, Chapman is alleged to have choked his girlfriend and to have fired eight gunshots into his garage. Chapman was not charged by police for the incident, but will be investigated under Major League Baseball’s new domestic violence policy. The MLB investigation did not stop the Yankees from acquiring Chapman in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds in late December.
For full context, here is Steinbrenner’s full quote on Chapman’s situation. The quote comes via USA Today.
“In this country where allegations are brought against a person,” Steinbrenner said in his first public comments on Chapman, “that person is completely innocent until proven otherwise. Not the other way around. I think we should keep that in mind right now.”
While Steinbrenner’s comments are technically true, it’s troubling how casually he’s willing to dismiss a very serious issue. Steinbrenner could have easily given a “no comment,” especially considering MLB is still conducting an investigation on the incident. Instead, he chose to defend a player who still could be suspended by the league for his actions.
Even if the league deems Chapman “guilty” (remember, he hasn’t been charged with a crime) and decides to suspend him, it’s not like Steinbrenner is suddenly going to void the trade or release Chapman. He’ll face no further consequences from the Yankees if MLB decides he played a role in the incident, making Steinbrenner’s comments about “innocent until proven otherwise” ring hollow. If it is “proven otherwise,” Chapman serves his suspension and returns to a prominent role with the Yankees immediately after it’s done.
At the time of the trade, there was a sense the Yankees saw Chapman’s domestic violence issue as an opportunity to acquire an elite talent at a discounted price. After Steinbrenner’s comments Wednesday, that seems like a strong possibility.
For the most part, the fans have been able to see through Steinbrenner’s comments.
There are a number of other similar comments in response to Jon Heyman’s tweet.
By now, everyone knows exactly what’s going on. The Yankees are willing to overlook off-the-field issues for a player as talented as Chapman. Steinbrenner can make all the strong statements he wants regarding Chapman’s innocence, but he’s not fooling anybody.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
