Trevor Bauer will be reinstated by Major League Baseball at some point. We can also accept it from the beginning. We don’t know when the rollback will come. Earlier this week, MLB extended Bauer’s administrative leave until April 22.
No one knows what happens after that, and in fact, the LA Times is reporting that Bauer could argue that extending his leave was non-binding and it was likely he could appeared at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
What we do know is that battery and sexual assault allegations, no matter how malicious, will never be enough to stop a man from playing professional sport. Take a look at the long list of men who have been charged and how many of them are still active players. A certain type of man on Twitter will scream about Ray Rice but, honestly, it has more to do with his declining abilities than punching his wife in the face in front of the camera. Ben Roethlisberger, Patrick Kane, Kobe Bryant, even Antonio Brown all had long and successful careers following rape allegations.
For women (and almost always women) writing about athletes accused of sexual assault and domestic violence, much of this feels like constantly screaming into space. The allegations are made, the police investigate, someone digs dirt on the victim, the prosecutor refuses to press charges, the player moves on with his life and the whole world will forget, except for the Twitter brigades always Beware of harassing anyone who dares to bring up the player’s past sins.
At the same time, we are a country that takes seriously the adage “innocent until proven guilty”, although that argument seems to be reserved for famous men accused, as opposed to The suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting is Frank James. (No one screams about the mob being unfairly woken up and the hellish women killing him. Curious!) With the LA County District Attorney’s refusal to charge Bauer, he could be back. play baseball when his current administrative leave ends. MLB, on the other hand, conducts its own investigations into the allegations against the players and has previously issued extended suspensions for cases that have never been criminally charged.
The longest suspension we’ve seen MLB impose is on pitcher Sam Dyson, who was banned for the entire 2021 season after his ex-girlfriend came to see him. allegations that Dyson threw objects at and injured both her and her cat. We’ll never know what Dyson’s ex told MLB investigators, but it was clear enough to warrant a season-long suspension.
However, Trevor Bauer is different. It’s not just because he’s a star pitcher, a trump card, the hottest deal in the marketplace or a free agent every time he hits it. Bauer also has a large following on social media, a social network he already uses Harassment and bullying of women and those who criticize him. In fact, an Ohio woman also accused Bauer of sexual assault, including strangling and punching her during sex without her consent. Here’s how back in 2017, long before the second woman went on to accuse Bauer of similar claims in 2021. Bauer denied both allegations, but the Ohio woman got it. injunction against Bauer, in part because of the SnapChat messages he sent her (Bauer’s attorneys and representatives questioned the validity of the messages):
“I don’t feel like going to jail for killing someone,” read a statement, according to Item. “And that’s what happens if I see you again.”
In an undated Snapchat message, Bauer is said to have written, “Like the only reason I want to see you again is to knock you unconscious, punch you in the face, and shove my fist over your head… you and kick you out naked. And obviously I would never do something like that to anyone. So can’t even enjoy the one thing that I’ve enjoyed with you sometimes.”
This is the point where full disclosure requires me to let you know that Bauer is suing both The Athletic, sports writer Molly Knight (one of the best in the business, in my opinion). ), Deadspin editor Chris Baud and Deadspin’s parent company, G/O Media, for defamation in connection with the coverage of the allegations against him. Bauer was practically delighted when he announced the lawsuits:
In addition to frequently disparaging the media and being unfamiliar with the New York Times v. Sullivan (Google it), Bauer is also nearby take a legal offer in which his team sought to obtain the LA accuser’s cell phone records, alleging that she had brought charges against Bauer for financial gain. A significant part of Bauer’s Twitter feed is his whining about how the media has made up lies about him (we don’t), whining about other things he he considers it unfair or tries to convince everyone that everyone is out to get him. Oh, and then this one:
I’m not sure the “we’re both accused of sexual assault and aren’t you crazy?” The fraternity Bauer is trying to establish here, but it gets to the heart of the real problem with Trevor Bauer, which is his obvious desire to destroy anyone he feels is wrong with him, and that includes the women who brought charges against him. His ally? Other men have been accused of the same things, If you are looking for fear, regret or even “maybe I should be a little more careful in the way I deal with women.” ,” you won’t find that from Bauer. Or his agent, Rachel Luba, who provides? cover for Bauer using the tried and true trick of getting a woman to protect you from sexual assault allegations.
It should be noted that Luba formerly represented Yasiel Puig, who was also accused of sexual assault by many women. Puig denies the allegations, (as well as an additional accusation sexual assault in 2018), and settled with the first two accusers.
Trevor Bauer staunchly denies doing anything wrong, loudly and crudely claiming that everything that happens between him and his accusers is consensual. He has a legal team behind him, clearly willing to go the extra mile to punish anyone who says otherwise. Bauer can argue for consent all he wants, but the women who oppose him say they disagree, and their state of mind is really the only thing that matters. Nurse of the Sexual Assault Response Team who testified? of the injuries inflicted on the LA accuser said she observed red bruises around the woman’s genitals, saying, “I’ve never seen that before. Honestly, it’s really alarming. ”
Bauer react mostly this is “rough sex” with a woman he “barely knows.” He claimed “the disturbing behaviors and behaviors she describes simply did not occur.”
What has become clear to me after following Bauer for a while is that he enjoys harming women. Sexual, physical, social, professional, financial. And he’s not afraid to do it publicly, making it more likely that victims of alleged sexual assault at the hands of other men will hesitate before coming forward. It seems like everything Bauer has been doing lately has revolved around discrediting women: his accusers, Molly Knight at The Athletic, me, at Deadspin (some of my reports are covered in the case). his lawsuit against G/O Media). In his world, every woman goes out of her way to get him.
All of this, I guess, is a long-winded way of saying that MLB and Rob Manfred would have done a lot of harm if Bauer hadn’t been given a long-term suspension. Because allowing him to return to baseball’s goodwill is putting the MLB’s stamp of approval on everything Bauer has done since the allegations came to light. Shouting an alleged victim until she shuts up and walks away, which we’ve seen so much of in society at large, would be an endorsement (and, I fear, a road map). for other athletes).
Do the right thing, Commissioner, don’t reward Trevor Bauer for his past behavior. Leave him out for the whole of 2022.
