Sports leagues hope to win where criminal justice system hasn't on domestic violence
LOS ANGELES - In the days leading up to the arrest of Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, Major League Baseball's effort to take on domestic violence was already grabbing the public's attention.
On May 8 in Chicago, Cubs shortstop Addison Russell returned to Wrigley Field for his first game after serving a 40-game suspension levied by MLB after Russell's ex-wife alleged last September that the player physically and mentally abused her. Russell denied the allegations and was not charged with a crime, but, under MLB's collectively-bargained domestic violence policy, the league conducted its own investigation and suspended him.
The Wrigley crowd booed Russell, 25, who struck out in his first plate appearance.
On May 12 in Houston, Astros pitcher Roberto Osuna had a Mother's Day surprise for his 130,000 Twitter followers. Osuna served a 75-game suspension last season for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, the mother of his son. The incident occurred while he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Astros traded for the star reliever during his suspension so they would have him available for their playoff run. In September, a Canadian judge cleared Osuna of a crime.
So when Osuna, 24, tweeted a picture of the hot-pink cleats he planned to wear for the Astros' game on Mother's Day and referenced his "haters," it prompted a backlash
