Major League Baseball suspends pitcher Trevor Bauer for two years over domestic violence policy
Los Angeles Dodgers player says he will appeal 324-game suspension
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Major League Baseball has suspended pitcher Trevor Bauer for two years without pay for violating the sport’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers player had been on paid administrative leave since last July when a woman alleged that she had been beaten and sexually assaulted by Mr Bauer.
Prosecutors decided against bringing a criminal prosecution against the athlete, and he has in turn sued his accuser, who he met over social media.
The pitcher was paid his $32m salary while on administrative leave, but will go unpaid during his 324 game suspension by the league, which starts immediately. If the suspension is upheld he will lose around $60m in salary.
He defended himself on Twitter and said he would appeal the suspension, which is twice as long as the previous largest one handed out under the policy.
“In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail,” he tweeted.
“As we have throughout this process, my representatives and I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
Mr Bauer has insisted that he and his accuser, who is from San Diego, California, had a consensual relationship at his home in Pasadena, near Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Dodgers said in a statement that the team takes “all allegations of this nature very seriously and does not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence or sexual assault.”
“We’ve cooperated fully with MLB’s investigation since it began, and we fully support MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, and the Commissioner’s enforcement of the Policy,” the team stated.
“We understand that Trevor has the right to appeal the Commissioner’s decision. Therefore, we will not comment further until the process is complete.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments