NFL
By Billy Lewis
“I think sometimes you don’t get to control who your teammates are and that’s the situation.” That’s what Yankee reliever had to say about the return of Domingo German. German is coming back after serving an 81 game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.
German last pitched for the Yankees on September 18, 2019, a game in which in came in relief for CC Sabathia. Entering in relief was seemingly getting German ready for a playoff role. German was 18-4 in 2019 before being placed on administrative leave in September. Eventually, in January of 2020 German was handed an 81 game suspension.
Mystery surrounded the circumstances of the suspension. What was known was that German allegedly slapped his girlfriend, in a public setting, in which somebody from the Commissioner’s office witnessed the event.
I’m told the incident involving Domingo German and his girlfriend occurred late Monday night/Tuesday morning in a public setting – he allegedly slapped her during an argument. According to an MLB source, the incident was witnessed by an official from the Commissioner’s office.
— Bob Klapisch (@BobKlap) September 19, 2019
Earlier today Lindsey Adler published a story with more details about the German incident via The Athletic (the story behind a paywall). German was at a charity gala hosted by CC Sabathia. Since the gala was hosted by Sabathia, many of their Yankee teammates were also in attendance. It was at the gala that German slapped his girlfriend.
Adler continues to say that another incident occurred that night at German’s home. German was allegedly drunk and belligerent and again became violent towards his girlfriend, causing her to lock herself in a room to getaway. The victim got in contact with the wife of another Yankee. The teammate and his wife ended up coming to German’s home to try to diffuse the situation.
Domingo German’s Second Act
There is no excuse for the way Domingo German acted. Though yes, he technically served his time by completing his suspension, German still has a lot to prove. He will be in the locker room, but if Britton’s comments are any indication, he has a long way to go if he’s to get accepted back into it.
German was supposed to meet with the press Sunday but instead released a statement that he wanted to speak to his teammates individually first.
Domingo German was scheduled to speak to the media for the first time this spring. Instead, he released a statement through #Yankees PR saying he would like to speak to his teammates both individually and as a group before he speaks publicly #yankees #springtraining2021
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) February 21, 2021
The Major League Baseball season is a long one. Pitchers and catchers are already in camp, and they hope to be together until late October. German has to show his sincere remorse for his horrific actions. Even if he does, there’s a good chance he has lost support from some teammates.
Ultimately baseball is a business and German is a cheap asset. He’s only scheduled to make $575,000 this season and has shown the arm talent to help the Yankees win. However, if he is not accepted back into the locker room, it is tough to imagine the Yankees keeping him around.
