David Ortiz tries to defend Jose Reyes: ‘He’s a good guy’
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has come to Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes’ defense, calling Reyes a “good guy.” The 32-year-old Reyes was arrested in November after allegedly assaulting his wife, and was placed on paid leave by Major League Baseball until his trial is completed.
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In an interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Ortiz talks about trying to avoid incidents during his own career, but then transitions to talking about players recently accused of domestic violence.
Here’s the entire exchange from Nightengale’s article:
“These are good guys, I feel so bad for them,’’ Ortiz said. “I know Jose well. Jose is not a trouble maker. He’s a good guy.”
Reyes was arrested on Oct. 31 in Hawaii when he allegedly grabbed his wife’s throat, and pushed her into a sliding glass door during an argument. Reyes plead not guilty.
“That’s not the Jose I know,” Ortiz said. “He’s a good kid. But people are going crazy and want to judge him.
“We’re not perfect. We all make mistakes. That’s no excuse, but people are judging him without knowing everything.
“It was something that got out of control, but only he and his wife know exactly what happened. People already are making a judgement on him.
“I just don’t think that’s fair. Give him a chance.”
Thus far, the reaction to Ortiz’s comments hasn’t been positive. While most understand Ortiz is attempting to defend someone he considers to be his friend, domestic violence is an issue far more complicated than simply saying “he’s a good guy” and moving on. Nothing about Reyes’ case is that simplistic.
[Related: David Ortiz wants Yankees fans to give him a standing ovation in his last season]
Major League Baseball seems to understand that and, ultimately, commissioner Rob Manfred will be the one to decide whether Reyes deserves further punishment. By introducing a new domestic violence policy last season, Manfred made it clear domestic violence was not going to be taken lightly by the league.
With these comments, many feel Ortiz has done exactly that.
Perhaps that wasn’t Ortiz’s intent, but that’s one of the consequences of speaking casually about such a nuanced subject.
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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
