Aroldis Chapman will help set precedent for Baseball’s new Domestic Violence Policy

The discussions about Yankees new closer, Aroldis Chapman, have been unavoidable over the past few days, in light of the recent suspension of Jose Reyes after his involvement in a domestic violence dispute with his wife back in October.

Many have strong opinions as to how Manfred should discipline Chapman for the dispute he had with his girlfriend back in October. Prosecutors declined to charge Aroldis Chapman of any crime due to conflicting stories from his girlfriend and a lack of evidence against him.

I am just baffled at how easy it is for the general public to believe accusations about athletes without any lick of evidence or investigation. It is disgusting really, we are talking about a persons livelihood and his reputation.

Domestic violence is a serious crime, hitting or choking your wife or girlfriend is unacceptable in all circumstances, and anyone who does these things should be punished.

However, to compare this incident to the Jose Reyes incident is just silly. Reyes wife was treated at the scene and then later transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the fight. A security guard at the hotel witnessed those injuries and Reyes was arrested at the scene currently facing criminal charges in a trial that begins April 4. He will remain suspended at least until the criminal procedure ends.

Below is the audio of the Jose Reyes 911 call, watch out its really loud!

 

In the incident involving Chapman, Nineteen officers from the Davie Police Dept. responded to his home on the night in question, and not one of them felt the need to arrest him. Here are the photos of Cristina on the night she claimed Chapman put his hands around her neck and choked her. She also told the 911 dispatcher, Im really scared, he was hitting me in front of everyone and hes going crazy.

She completely changed her mind when she signed a sworn affidavit in December, saying she does not recall saying that, and that he did not hit her or choke her or push her down. She also stated that the only reason he poked her shoulder was because she was up in his face and would not back off. She refused to file any kind of charge against him, and as made apparent by the recent photos of him and his daughter on Instagram, the two must be at least civil with each other. It has been mentioined that the three are still living in the same home together.

Good night everyone! I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day! #ChapmanSwagg

A photo posted by Aroldis Chapman (@_thecubanmissile54) on

How in the world can the Commissioner of baseball punish Chapman for domestic violence when the evidence clearly says there was no domestic violence.

While it is important for Manfred to show how serious MLB takes domestic violence, it will be a sad day if the precedent shows how easy you can ruin your boyfriends life if you find some other chick texting his cell phone.

What he did with his gun is a separate case altogether, but Chapman did not break any of the Florida gun laws, as evidenced in both the Police Report and the Closeout Memo inserted below. Go ahead and punish him for that, but any punishment for abuse is simply ridiculous and without any merit.

Some of the ignorant responses regarding the incident include comments and tweets all over the web just like the following:

 

The MLB Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy

The MLB domestic violence policy, released in August 2015, gives Manfred the authority to discipline a player regardless of whether the player is convicted of any crime. It also gives him full control over the type and severity of punishment. The player does have the right to appeal to an independent arbitrator if he feels the punishment is unfair, but then the burden of proof resides on the player rather than the accuser.

This seems to contradict the basic constitutional right of every American citizen that one is innocent until proven guilty. Nevertheless, if you want to get paid the big bucks you agree to it.

Manfred can place a player on paid leave for up to seven days while a decision is made, as he has with Jose Reyes, but after seven days are up, Manfred must either:

  • Discipline the player immediately, or in certain extreme cases, suspend the player with pay until a decision is made. If player is ultimately punished, and any paid suspension will become unpaid.
  • Reinstate the player and defer penalty until a decision is made.

Three cases sit before Manfred now, and will set the precedent for any future domestic violence incidents involving major league ballplayers. Manfred spoke about this on Monday:

I am giving really thorough consideration to the cases that I have in front of me and thinking about their relevance obviously to the individual players, the individual facts most important, but also with an eye toward starting something new, it’s important to try to get these as right as possible.

The policy includes a treatment program for both the victim and the accused.

The Information we have on the night in question is as follows:

According to the official Police Report, Aroldis Chapman threw a birthday party for a friend at his Miami home on October 30, 2015. His live-in fiancée and baby momma, Cristina Barnea, got a hold of Chapmans cell phone and found a text message from some other chick.

Chapman was furious, of course, that she had the nerve to look through his phone. Since there were around 20 guests in the home, Chapman and Barnea went into the theater to hash it out.

There were no witnesses inside the theater room when the altercation took place. Barnea changed her story about what went on several times.

In an obvious state lacking any common sense, Chapman headed out to his garage, locked the door, and shot his gun at least eight times. He could have broken so many laws doing that, not to mention he could have killed someone. The fact that he didnt is more attributed to dumb luck than any kind of strategy, but either way,

According to the State of Florida gun laws:

  1. You may not carry your weapon where people can see it, and nobody at the party saw him carrying it or shooting it. Florida Statutes, V90.053-Open carrying of weapons
  2. You cannot improperly exhibit your weapon in a threatening or careless manner. Since nobody saw him storming off to the garage with it, his actions are still considered legal. Florida Statutes, V90.10-Improper exhibition of dangerous weapons or firearms
  3. You are not permitted to shoot the gun in public or on residential property. Residental property is the home and the yard, but because Chapman was in the garage with the door locked, and because the garage was not technically attached to the house, he did not violate any laws.. Florida Statutes, V90.15-Discharging firearm in public or on residential property
  4. You are not allowed to operate a weapon while under the influence. This is the one I can hardly believe he got away with.

According to the police report, Chapmans girlfriend made it clear they had been drinking all day and in the call she made to 911, she repeated several times that she was afraid of him because he drunk and angry. She even signed a sworn statement claiming he was trying to sober up by taking a shower.

Florida Statutes, V90,151-Using firearm while under the influence of alcoholic beverages, chemical substances, or controlled substance

One of the shots was fired through a garage window and out into a field, but because he was not shooting it at someone, he did not break the Florida gun law that prohibits you from showing or throwing deadly missles into any occupied dwelling or building. Florida Statutes, V90.19-Shooting into or throwing deadly missiles into dwellings, public or private buildings, occupied or not occupied

 

 

 

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Aroldis Chapman Police Report

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