Written by Bob Nightengale at USAToday.com
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman could have fought this, just as he vowed when he arrived last month to spring training camp.
The Major League Players Association could have insisted he appeal the decision, taking the battle to an independent arbitrator.
Chapman instead will be remembered as the first baseball player to be suspended for a domestic violence incident, and accepting his punishment – albeit quite clumsily, with a statement that infuriated a victims’ advocacy group.
Chapman was suspended 30 games by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, but the surprise was the announcement that he was not going to appeal.
“I want to be clear,’’ Chapman said in a statement, “I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry.
“The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration.’’
Let’s be honest: Chapman had no choice but forgo an appeal. Chapman acknowledged in a Miami police report that he fired a handgun nine times in his garage after an argument Oct. 30 with his girlfriend. There were no arrests or charges, because, as is often the case in domestic incidents, conflicting witness accounts and dubious cooperation would have made a conviction difficult.
Yet, an angry 28-year-old man firing his gun in the wake of an incident with his girlfriend left Major League Baseball little choice but to act.
“I found Mr. Chapman’s acknowledged conduct on that day to be inappropriate under the negotiated policy,’’ Manfred said, “particularly his use of a firearm and the impact of that behavior on his partner.’’
Ruth Glenn, executive director of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, applauded Manfred’s stand from her Denver office, but was disgusted by Chapman’s statement saying he did not harm his girlfriend.
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