Addison Russell will soon play another game for the Chicago Cubs. At least that’s the plan as the shortstop regains his baseball rhythm at Triple-A Iowa.
He’ll join an ignominious cast of active MLB players accused of domestic violence or sexual assault over the past five years: Roberto Osuna still pitches in Houston. Miguel Sano still bats in Minnesota. Jung-ho Kang still bats in Pittsburgh. Yasiel Puig still bats in Cincinnati. Aroldis Chapman still pitches in New York. Jeurys Familia also pitches in New York.
Last year, Russell’s ex-wife, Melisa Reidy, alleged in a blog post that he physically and emotionally abused her.
“About a month after leaving, I returned for a visit so my son could see (my son’s) father, also in hopes that maybe, just maybe I’d see a change in my husband,” Reidy wrote at one point in the post. “But, as I expected our visit was a nightmare, I swore to myself it would be the last time he’d lay his hands on me (and) it would be that last time I’d let my son be a witness to it.”
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Reidy participated in an MLB-led investigation, providing the league further details on her experiences with Russell, according to The Athletic.
After initially denying the accusations, Russell spoke to reporters in February, vaguely accepting responsibility for the alleged abuse without getting into specifics.
"What I do want to say is, I am accountable for my past actions,” Russell told reporters at the time. “I'm not proud of the person I was. But I do want to own this issue and take responsibility for the hurt and the pain I have caused Melisa. And for that, I am sorry."
MLB suspended Russell for 40 games and mandated he undergo counseling. He can now, in all likelihood, rebuild public support by simply swatting enough pitches over an ivy-covered wall or tracking down enough baseballs dribbled into the hole between shortstop and second base. He doesn’t need to have changed.
It’s difficult to come to terms with that.
MLB’s controversial proposed on-field rule changes, geared primarily toward improving pace of play, are one thing. So too are its misguided social media policies, which seemingly inhibit popularity among young fans. But not refurbishing the league’s domestic violence policies when Russell and others who have been accused of abuse continue to prosper on a public stage is a far more serious matter.
At present, punishment for domestic violence, as stated in the current collective bargaining agreement, is at the discretion of MLB. Suspension lengths and other measures are influenced by participation of victims in league investigations and precedent. The league doesn’t need a criminal conviction to hand out discipline, and often players are not charged because the alleged victims don't want to participate in legal proceedings. Osuna’s assault charges in Canada were dropped, and he entered a plea deal. Kang and Chapman did not face charges for their alleged assaults, though Kang was separately convicted of a DUI and fleeing the scene of a drunken-driving crash.
Many domestic violence victim advocates say zero-tolerance policies for abuse, which MLB has steered clear from, can actually have harmful implications for survivors. This is because such an approach can discourage victims from seeking help in the first place, potentially lead to additional abuse and increase familial stress after crimes are reported. But short of banning players outright, there are plenty of other avenues that could better indicate the severity of these transgressions — to players and the young people who look to sports as a source of inspiration.
Russell’s case was allegedly a long-term, systematic abuse of another individual, not the kind of one-off incident sometimes referred to in zero-tolerance policy discussions. Reidy wrote and presumably told MLB investigators that Russell repeatedly put his hands on her, manipulated her emotionally and intimidated her.
So what’s a fair standard punishment, for him and others?
In addition to suspensions, the league offers what it calls robust anti-violence training throughout the minor leagues, and then supplements that with instruction during spring at training big league level.
But the approach should specifically include measures to train the athletes who arrive from overseas ready to play in MLB almost right away, as Chapman and Kang did, because those players are not present for minor-league instruction. Spring training-only guidance seems insufficient.
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Separately, deputy MLB commissioner Dan Halem confirmed to Sporting News that clearance from an assigned health professional is necessary for a player to return from suspension, but he said, “I think the answer is no” when asked whether such clearance has ever been denied.
He added that reinstated players often continue the treatment set up by the league after their suspensions.
“The person who evaluates them is not necessarily going to be their counselor or their therapist,” Halem said of how the clearance policy works. “The person makes a recommendation in writing, and it comes back to (MLB social responsibility specialist Ricardhy Grandoit) about what they think the player needs.”
It’s difficult to gauge, however, the thoroughness of that evaluation and whether the bar for clearance is high enough. That information is not disclosed by the league. By outlining in writing what health professionals generally look for beyond a suspended player checking off his mandated counseling, however, MLB could perhaps ease public concern without violating player privacy.
The league also has a responsibility to explore further measures, such as banning suspended players from the postseason, the All-Star Game and, in select situations, perhaps even from Hall of Fame consideration. Other avenues for change could include longer suspensions and fining players a significant amount, with that money going directly to organizations that assist domestic violence victims.
The MLBPA, of course, would have some say in the introduction of new punishments. But there’s no reason that can’t be worked out by motivated parties — Halem said mutually agreed upon changes can happen throughout the duration of a CBA deal — and the league office is already talking about the potential for modifications.
“Over time, as we get more experience in the area (of handling domestic violence),” Halem said, “there’s a lot of experts (we’ll be) in contact with and we’ll revise the policy to make it as strong of a policy as we can.”
The Cubs should also be cognizant of where their response to the Russell situation may have fallen short.
In particular, the initial public approach from manager Joe Maddon struck many as tone-deaf and dismissive of the seriousness of the allegations against Russell.
Maddon initially told reporters, “I really don’t believe I need to” read Reidy’s blog post, and separately said “there’s nothing I can do to help the situation at all.”
His tune changed slightly after public backlash.
"I did eventually read the post," Maddon said last Sept. 26. "And my stance has not changed. I mean, domestic violence is horrible. It absolutely is. By reading that, you feel her pain, absolutely. But at the end of the day, there's really nothing that I'm able to do. This is in the hands of MLB and the player's union, period.
"That was my initial stance and that is my stance. It's horrible to think what that lady's gone through, absolutely. But I don't know enough about the other side, so I'm waiting for the full report to come out and then we can all draw conclusions at that point."
There is actually some truth to Maddon’s words there. The Cubs have limited disciplinary action they can take under the CBA — all disciplinary measures for domestic violence are the league’s responsibility unless it defers to the team, which it didn’t in this case.
But organizations, top to bottom, have a moral responsibility to take ownership for the transgressions of their players and not deflect blame. How teams discuss incidents of domestic violence matters, and Maddon’s flippant language unfortunately seems to fit a league-wide pattern. The Astros offered a similarly inadequate response after acquiring a still-suspended Osuna last season, as did the Yankees when they signed Aroldis Chapman.
A Cubs official told Sporting News his organization implemented domestic violence prevention training beyond MLB requirements for every team employee this past winter. He said the training includes guidelines for how to recognize signs of abusive relationships.
As for the team’s response to the Russell incident, the Cubs harbor no regrets.
“The Cubs and MLB responded swiftly and the comments or tone concerning the allegations and investigation were strong,” the official said. “This was prior to and after Addison Russell was suspended.”
In any case, it falls on MLB to set the standard for what is and is not acceptable in addition to doling out appropriate player punishment. If the league really wanted to set the correct tone on domestic violence, one would think tepid responses from teams would not be commonplace. And again, the league should, in a transparent manner, revisit its policies on player education and disciplinary approach given the repeated allegations of abuse by its athletes.
It seems MLB understands on a certain level that physical and emotional abuse has no place in the sport. Enacting a sweeping set of domestic violence-related policies in 2015 reflects that. Now, though, it must back up its words with further action, demonstrating its commitment to the issue.
Russell’s imminent return is a reminder of the obvious: Alleged abusers taking the field each day stains the game. Whether the league chooses an active or passive stance in minimizing that plight will define its integrity in the coming years.