MLB must punish Jose Reyes severely if evidence warrants it
In this Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is shown prior to a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, in San Diego. Credit: AP / Gregory Bull
The arrest of Jose Reyes on domestic abuse charges, stemming from a Halloween argument with his wife, was a shocking and upsetting turn for those of us that previously couldn’t fathom such behavior from the beloved former Mets’ shortstop.
But those feelings can’t be part of this equation going forward, not when a wife has to be hospitalized with injuries that allegedly were caused by a husband, as the Maui Police Department stated in the report obtained by Newsday.
And as we’ve seen in too many other cases, most recently involving Ray Rice and Greg Hardy, this usually is just the beginning. As disturbing as the police report can be, it often is the tip of the iceberg, before the really damaging evidence trickles out.
The only photo we’ve seen so far is Reyes’ mug shot, attached to the news release. Maybe that’s all that becomes public. But there’s also the other possibility, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discovered, when TMZ and Deadspin revealed explosive images that conveyed what words evidently could not about the horrors of domestic violence.
By comparison, Rob Manfred, still in his rookie year as Bud Selig’s successor, is fortunate. He can learn from Goodell’s mistakes and prevent baseball from facing the same vengeful avalanche the NFL did by first tiptoeing around the Rice and Hardy situations. MLB also was smart enough to see what went down with Hardy in the spring and moved quickly to enact its own Joint Domestic Violence Policy, approving it in August, barely three months before the Reyes episode surfaced.
Just having the machinery in place, however, doesn’t guarantee it will work well. And Manfred, who is allowed a wide latitude to determine the severity of the punishment, must be a harsh prosecutor if the evidence supports it. MLB has prided itself on having the most strict disciplinary measures for PED offenders, and though this is a very different matter, Manfred will be under tremendous scrutiny to punish Reyes with a sentence that reflects the heinous nature of the crime.
“I think we felt good about the policy when we negotiated it,” Manfred said Tuesday at the GM meetings. “This will be the first test and I think it will stand the test.”
It’s not a stretch to say the sporting world, as well as the national conscience, demands such judgment. We can debate the value of a long suspension as a deterrent. But other than counseling and psychological testing, which also are part of MLB’s new policy, forcing players off the field is the only weapon Goodell and Manfred have at their disposal.
Domestic violence is an incredibly complex issue, with a web that stretches throughout families, and can’t be dealt with in a heavy-handed fashion. That’s why it can be so difficult to diagnose and treat after the initial damage has been done. Everybody can gasp at the unsettling photos or videos, but there are other lives at stake beyond the vilified person throwing punches.
“There’s a balance there,” Manfred said. “On the one hand, I think our fans what to know that the case has been dealt with appropriately. On the other hand, whoever the player is, the fact that he’s a major league player doesn’t mean that he has absolutely no right to privacy. And that everything that’s gone on in the context of a relationship or a marriage has to be public.”
Manfred was giving a nod to the players’ association with that statement, because there is no policy without the union’s assistance. And whatever punishment Manfred chooses to dole out — according to the policy, there are no set parameters — it’s almost guaranteed to be challenged by the players’ association, which has an obligation to act as defense counsel for its clientele.
But from what we’ve seen lately, Manfred definitely has the high ground here. Both the NFL and the Cowboys were shredded last week for allowing Hardy to continue to play despite the release of the alarming photos of his battered girlfriend. We didn’t need pictures to retell the story of Hardy’s disgusting behavior — an episode already detailed in court records — but that again made his employers look like enablers.
Manfred can help MLB avoid all that with Reyes. And he’s equipped with the power and hindsight to do so.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
