Rafael Olmeda of the Miami Sun Sentinel reports that Broward County prosecutors will not file criminal charges against left-hander Aroldis Chapman in connection with allegations of domestic violence dating back to this past October. Olmeda adds that the Broward State’s Attorney office will be making an official statement on the matter later today.
Chapman’s lawyer, Paul Molle, issued the following statement, according to Olmeda: “We are all pleased that the Davie Police Department and the Office of the State Attorney took the time to fully investigate the matter and have concluded that charges were not warranted.”
As Olmeda reminds, no arrests were made at the time of the purported incident, with police officials citing inconsistencies in witness accounts. Chapman’s girlfriend, Cristina Barnea, told police that Chapman struck her in front of others at a birthday party and also choked her. The initial reports of the incident also alleged that Chapman discharged a handgun eight times in his garage. However, Olmeda writes that Barnea later told police she only heard one gunshot, was not certain who fired the shot and did not wish to prosecute Chapman. He continues, noting that Barnea told prosecutors that she did not remember saying that Chapman had hit her, and other witnesses said they saw no physical altercation between the pair.
Whether or not Chapman will face some form of suspension under Major League Basbeall’s newly implemented domestic violence policy remains to be seen. That decision will be left up to commissioner Rob Manfred’s discretion. The widespread expectation has been that Chapman will face some form of repercussion — likely in the form of a suspension — although the fact that no arrest was made and no charges have been filed seems likely to work in his favor to some extent.
Earlier this offseason, the Dodgers backed out of a trade to acquire Chapman, reportedly in large part due to the emergence of these allegations. The Yankees acquired Chapman from the Reds several weeks later for a package of infielder Eric Jagielo, right-hander Rookie Davis, right-hander Caleb Cotham and infielder Tony Renda.
Thank god 🙂
We can tell you are a Yankee fan… Probably chapman threw some money on the side to settle… All of sudden ” I did not remember ” sounds phony
Thank you judge and jury. I’m sure you know more about the woman by reading a couple of lines on your screen than the police officers and prosecutors that actually spoke to her in person.
Why are Yankees fans happy about this? If Chapman would have been suspended for more than 45 games, he would have gained another year under contract.
It was extremely unlikely he’d face a 45 game suspension so this is the second best thing Yankee fans could want.
If there are no signs of domestic violence (unless you consider a gun shot domestic violence ), then the only thing he could possibly be suspended for is anger management.
I could be wrong of course. But what else can Manfred suspend him for?
If he does for whatever reason get suspended, my guess is no more than 5 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Zero games
Sort of off topic, but another note about Manfred which was brought up that I’m sure this site is going to put up very soon, is that Manfred said talks about the NL adding a DH have heated up and it may happen in 2017
Have a hard time seeing how MLB can justify suspending him when there’s not evidence of an actual physical altercation. If they do, they’re becoming the NFL giving punishment just for the sake of it (though not in the case of domestic abuse of course.)
Amazing how all of a sudden 8 gunshots turn into 1 gunshot, and the girlfriend now “doesn’t remember” telling authorities that Chapman hit her, and the witnesses now report seeing nothing. Smells very heavily of a pay-off on Chapman’s part
Or it could be that she was lying the whole time. Remember how she claimed she was “choked” but there was no marks or any indication on her neck? A guy who throws 105 “chokes” a woman and she’s unscathed? Right…
It sounds like she had too much at the time of the party and some of the witnesses didn’t actually see anything but were siding with her in the heat of the moment.
Something happened, but likely nothing serious
Alcohol and drugs can fog memories. The GF had her own anger management issues. She reportedly tackled him at one point after they were initially separated and she decided to restart whatever had been going on
I really don’t see what is left to discipline. My
I don’t see how MLB can discipline Chapman for “domestic violence” if the legal process says domestic violence did not occur? I know MLB says they can discipline irregardless of the legal process outcomes, but I think that would only apply if a player actually entered the legal process in the first place. The facts are that Chapman was not arrested, nor was he charged, so as his lawyer said “He is innocent.” I don’t think MLB could withstand the legal challenge that will surely come if they decide to discipline Chapman specifically for “domestic violence”. If they discipline him for something else, like anger management as was suggested above, then they might make it stick. And they do probably need to try because the policy is so new, the first few cases must set the precedents.
MLB’s domestic violence policy is completely separate and distinct from any laws, and it is mistake to think that they are connected in any way. It would obviously have been worse for Chapman’s discipline case with the MLB had he been charged, but that has nothing really to do with the domestic violence policy. Unfortunately for the MLB they are now faced with at best an ambiguous test case for their brand new policy. Something happened, but nobody seems to agree on what it was.
It’s better for Manfred to let it go than to be overturned in court like Goodell. He looked like both a tyrant and a buffoon and I’m pretty sure that Manfred wants to convey a different image.
They already have a test case. Reyes. The policy does snot give MLB the right to suspend w/o evidence. I see no evidence here. An abuse of the commissioners powers and the MLBPA throws out the agreement in the upcoming CBA
Again, MLB and the MLBPA created and adopted this policy jointly. They both have a stake in making it work. It isn’t a trial, so it doesn’t follow legal rules of evidence. As with any other discipline action.
But do you want the precedent set of the union fighting a suspension and winning? Which they should do in my opinion, because Chapman doesn’t seem to deserve losing his salary. In my mind, losing an appeal hurts the policy a lot more than doing nothing in this case. Which is what this case seems to be…a lot of nothing.
As an aside, I wonder if the Reds and/or Dodgers would like a “do-over” on their trade now that it seems likely that he is not getting suspended 50 games (which I never bought into anyway).
The policy was jointly adopted by MLB and the MLBPA.. It would be unseemly and unproductive if they got into a battle over it the very first time it was actually called on. They will both try to avoid that..
Which is why nothing will be done to Chapman. They still have the Jose Reyes case to look good in the press.
Reyes has a trial on April 4th. His situation is more interesting right now.
Good point, it might come down that way. The commissioner could probably get away with punting on Chapman if he throws the book at Reyes.
Messy situation. The fact that the prosecutors aren’t pressing charges doesn’t necessarily mean that he shouldn’t be punished by MLB.
The fact that he isn’t being charged just means that the county can’t make a reasonable case against him. Even beyond that, being “innocent” of beating his girlfriend doesn’t mean he didn’t act in a matter that had a negative impact on MLB and the teams associated with him.
Exactly.
So much for innocent until proven guilty.
Domestic violence does not have to include physical abuse. There are many forms of domestic abuse.
Correct but he was not charged with Any domestic violence or crime, so I don’t see your point.
The policy says plainly that the commissioner can sanction a player whether or not he was changed with a violation of law. So what was your point?
My point was that he Wasn’t charged for it so if Manfred suspends him, which he may, it may be for something else (anger management?) Who knows
Don’t be surprised if there is no suspension though.
No, he could still be sanctioned under the domestic violence policy as I understand it. This was definitely a domestic situation and Chapman behavior was definitely violent. The fact that he didn’t manage to hurt anyone (but himself) is not an automatic escape clause. The police reports paint a pretty ugly picture.
If he does action, most likely would be overturned in court or mediation. It is a slippery slope when you start suspending people if the justice system does not. Although I think you may be regretting the Dodgers not trading for him.
Doubtful. Players are sanctioned by the commissioner often under a variety of “best interests of baseball” policies and almost never are they even remotely criminal matters. Sometimes suspensions or fines are reduced in mediation but rarely are they overturned and even more rarely do they end up in court (which is a nice way to end a career). All that said I thought the Dodgers should’ve taken a run at Chapman at fire sale prices but then they should also have known about his problem before talking to the Reds, a mistake Boston did not make.
You don’t have to even be charged for domestic violence to take place. Its always easier to believe the athletes.
You don’t have to be charged for domestic violence to take place. It’s up to the victim to First ask for the help and then prove it took place. Things like a restraining order don’t require someone be arrested. It buys time for everyone to cool off. Or possibly have their silence purchased.
If the Reds had hung on to Chapman and attempted to trade him, now, might the return have been better? Maybe not, since some other teams moved on from him and filled their closer slot. Still, might Cincinnati have been able to pit the Yankees against the Dodgers for a better return?
I doubt it. I suspect both the Reds and Yankees had checked with the commissioner and done their own investigation and knew no significant suspension would be handed out.
The main reason the Reds traded him was a salary dump, he will make over 12 million this year.. A lengthy suspension might have led the Reds to keep him and try again when he would have an extra year of team control.
As far as the returns, with 1 year remaining and the taint of domestic violence which remains even w/o suspension, his high salary means he is providing little surplus value. Few teams can afford the luxury of a Chapmans salary and give up top prospects. Red Sox were all set with their own high priced closer. While the Red Sox gave up more in terms of prospects, Kimbrel had 3 years of team control and no taint. Chapman has only 1 year of control
Red Sox might regret they moved so fast on Kimbrel.
Tricky situation as MLB doesn’t really have grounds to suspend Chapman if no domestic violence occurred, yet they don’t want to be seen as weak in dealing with this issue. A slap on the wrist of 5 games or so might be incoming.
You can’t call it weak if he isn’t suspended.
Dodgers say: “Damn!”
‘”although the fact that no arrest was made and no charges have been filed seems likely to work in his favor to some extent.”
Also no video, no physical evidence of an altercation (bruises, medical treatment)), GF has recanted what she said earlier, shooting a gun not against any MLb rule, etc.
I see absolutely no grounds for s suspension. The players did not give carte blanche to the commissioner to suspend w/o evidence.
As I have said all along, there was no reason to expect any suspension here based on what we knew.
That said, this does not mean that Chapman did not hit her or choke here, many such cases simply go unreported for various reasons. Chapman is rich and there are many perks to being a GF. So if you want to remain his GF…….., Sad but true
Maybe the commissioner makes him take anger management courses/therapy
Thinking back to the original report — Didn’t Chapman admit to shooting the gun multiple after an altercation with the girlfriend? Seems that could be considered domestic violence/intimidation in the eyes of MLB..
Very true. It may.
Yes he admitted to removing a gun from the glove compartment of his car, taking it into the garage, and firing eight times into the wall. One bullet went out the window. He also admitted to punching out the window of his car with his fist. Some of the other details of the incident are conflicting but the police reports makes it clear that Chapman was out of control in a domestic situation, and whether or not he actually hurt someone, he easily might have. Just based on the reports the commissioner probably has a sufficient basis to hand him some sort of suspension. A token one of a few games is my guess.
davie, fla is a redneck run community. you can bet the fix is in. his money vs justice, wonder how many carots this cost him.
While I don’t really agree with your assessment of Davie, having lived there for 18 years of my life, and enjoyed most of it, I do know that this probably didn’t cost him much other than maybe his pricey attorney’s fees. The Broward County District Attorney are notorious cowards more worried about having “Winnable” cases than actually pursuing justice for victims.
The weapon discharge inside the garage would have been enough to rate a misdemeanor charge in most jurisdictions.
Typical Broward County. I work with Law Enforcement on a daily basis, one of the things we often gripe about is how difficult it is to get a Domestic Violence case to go anywhere. The Victims nearly always recant and say they don’t want to prosecute. They intentionally lie and change their stories, witnesses become uncooperative at the victims urging and the State Attorney doesn’t take the charges. The State is -SUPPOSED- to always take the case in matters of Domestic Violence, but rarely do. Sounds like money did its job as usual and let another offender go and another victim ripe for more abuse.
problem with convincing law officials of a domestic violence charges is that the victim needs to fully cooperate. Typical day at Family Court one person says this and next day they say they don’t remember blah blah. she knew what was at stake …. money
If the commissioner hands out a suspension it should be for something other than domestic violence. That is the only way that seems fair and reasonable to me with today’s announcement from the law enforcement agency.
You should read the police reports. This was definitely a domestic situation and no question Chapman’s behavior was violent. The fact that he wasn’t charged with a crime doesn’t really figure into what is actionable under the policy. All that said the commissioner may chose to make an example of Reyes and give Chapman a pass. Not sure that’s entirely just but politically it may be wise.
I’ve read the police reports. By no means was this a good situation, but the reader must parse out what happened to determine fault. The gf took chaps phone and refused to return it, chap and gf had a argument in the bathroom. Chap returned to the party (which was attended by the gfs family and brother). Chap entered the entertainment room into which the gf followed and an altercation occurred. According to the report provided at the time by the brother of the gf reported that he pulled his sister off of chapman and pushed him and that they were separated by the family. Chap and his driver went out to the car where chap eventually punched the window and removed a gun from the glove compartment. He entered the garage alone and fired shots. At that time he was taken to his room by the driver and remained there until the cops showed up.
From the scene the reports depict, it is not possible to conclude chap was the aggressor or instigator. The firing of the gun is what really leaves the sour flavor in people’s mouth, and rightly so. Base on my reading of the reports its impossible to determine whether being alone and firing a gun into the garage wall was done with the intent to intimidate or out of frustration. The multiple witness reports and the lack of physical evidence (bruising or marks) to corroborate the gfs recount of the events, when taken into consideration the heightened emotional state of the gf and the presence of alcohol do not help the credibility of the gfs story. (The prior police report chap filed against her concerning a previous break in at one of hai apartments doesn’t much help her credibility either.)
I agree with the poster in one of his following comments that chaps own statements could be grounds for a suspension under the leagues dv policy and further that a suspension is most likely warranted for at minimum, exposing the league to negative attention, but I question whether this should be the first matter handled under this new policy or is the another league policy in which this incident is more suited. The dv angle seems fairly flimsy – the reckless discharge of a firearm during an altercation that involved law enforcement does not. There is no contradiction that a firearm was discharged, no argument that an event occurred that required police involvement. These facts are much more solid and disciplinary suspension Jon those grounds can provide some guidance for later events. I.e.: if there is an altercation involving a player in which the player may or may not be at fault, and the player discharges or brandishes a firearm, he will be suspended. It may not be the exact rule that we are looking for, but it’s a reasonable rule based on the factual situation presented in this matter
I am left wondering in what universe punching out the window of a car and firing a gun into a wall of a home is not considered to be aggressive behavior, or how it can be justified in any way by the behavior of others. Maybe that’s the world of blaming others for our own behavior that we live in today but if so it’s a sad place to be.
MLB can NOT afford to get this wrong like the NLF did. Chapman must be suspended for the 2016 season. Same with Jose Reyes. A strong message must be sent, PERIOD.
Suspended for the season for doing what? None of us, including Manfred knows the truth about what really happened. The truth we do know, was that he wasn’t arrested and wasn’t charged. So what the heck makes you think Manfred would give him a season long suspension?
Oh look! It’s a Yankees fan who condones domestic violence in the name of a player on his favorite team remaining eligible to play! Give this person a round of applause!
Tell me what I stated above that is incorrect. If you can find one thing, the round of applause goes to you, Yankee Hater.
This whole situation is nonsense. If punching a wall or a window is a domestic violence case then so should throwing gear in the dugout. I agree that anyone truly involved in domestic violence should be suspended. Maybe for a full season, but if mlb can suspend based on contradicting evidence then it would be easy to get back at an ex. Claim they hit you and watch them loose millions in salary. Suspensions should be based on more than accusations.
It’s the same question presented in any matter of punishment, whether in a court system or otherwise. It’s just a question of what standard of proof you apply, who decides it, and what evidence you consider relevant for the facts.
I’m certain suspensions will be based on more than accusations, but obviously there will always be some evidence going in both directions. The process was collectively bargained, and the commish will have to follow it or open the possibility of significant union complaints and/or lawsuits.
Folks are rushing to judgment in all directions on this matter. Manfred is a very thoughtful and careful guy, and I doubt we’ll see major bungling in either direction. Let’s at least give him a chance to handle these things before judging the judgment.
Yes. A basic misunderstand common to a lot of comments here is that no domestic violence can be said to have occurred without someone actually getting hurt. The parts of the incident that Chapman admitted to in his statements to the police are enough for the commissioner to find that he violated the policy. If he doesn’t hand out at least a token penally then MLB will have made a mockery of the policy. He will try to avoid either over or under-reacting. Since we all like to make guesses here my markers are on a five-game suspension.
5 games makes sense. Don’t rule out Zero games
I’m more interested in Reyes. I think he’ll be suspended longer because his case is now set to go to trial at the beginning of the season. So I am assuming he may miss quite some time
For Chapman, it’s a toss up, but like you, my guess would be about 5 games.
Reyes has pics of him and his wife by the xmas tree on his instagram. I highly doubt she is going to continue pressing charges.