https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...na-arrives-on-second-chance-from-13133507.php Spoiler LOS ANGELES — It lasted 10 minutes and was delivered in "great English." On the advice of his counsel, Roberto Osuna did not address the charge of domestic assault he faces. He apologized to his new teammates "for being a distraction" and promised the Astros he was fixated on "being a good person and being a good teammate." "I felt welcomed by the clubhouse, I felt that they were very good teammates and very good people, people that were very helpful," Osuna said through team interpreter Oz Ocampo. "I feel very good to be part of this team, very appreciative." Following the team meeting — Houston's third in seven days — Osuna addressed reporters alongside general manager Jeff Luhnow in the first-base dugout for more than 20 minutes. Twice, Osuna declined comment on the allegations against him. He is scheduled for another court date on Sept. 5. Osuna accepted the 75-game suspension Major League Baseball levied against him without appeal. "I'd like it to be resolved (quickly)," Osuna said. "But whatever time it takes to be resolved, that's what I think is appropriate." Six days after he announced the trade while touting the organization's "zero-tolerance policy" regarding abuse of any kind, Luhnow reiterated the "second chance" he felt Osuna deserved. Luhnow exuded optimism that Osuna's addition would continue a conversation about domestic violence — a topic Luhnow said is "front and center" within the organization. The general manager opted to see the positives of Osuna's arrival. Luhnow surmised the 23-year-old righty — under team control through 2021 — could one day lecture the organization's minor leaguers about his situation. Luhnow said the organization — which he claimed undertook "unprecedented due diligence" in vetting Osuna — "looked into the alleged incident." "The sum total of all the information that we had, we really felt like it was important to give Roberto a second chance," Luhnow said. "I know there are some people who believe that if you're accused of something in this area, you shouldn't be allowed to work again. I don't believe that, Major League Baseball doesn't believe that, the Players Association doesn't believe that, and that's why we're giving Roberto a second chance." Luhnow and team owner Jim Crane conducted a team meeting on Saturday. The duo detailed every step of the exhaustive process Luhnow said his front office enacted. A "handful" of Astros players have met one-on-one with their general manager since the acquisition. Most had "questions and wanted to talk through it," Luhnow said. Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged Sunday it is "hard" for his club to compartmentalize two vastly different situations — welcoming a teammate with baseball prowess and acknowledging the gravity of what he is accused of committing. "Make no bones about it, domestic violence allegations are bad," Hinch said. "Domestic violence is bad. All of us as humans know that, believe that. We have to figure out a way to separate those feelings versus the additional opportunity he's getting on our club. He's served his suspension, he's available to play, I'm the manager of this club and I'm going to pitch him because he's on our team." Two players — Alex Bregman and Collin McHugh — spoke to reporters after Osuna's address inside a sparsely populated Astros clubhouse. Bregman, the son of a defense attorney, said he "definitely believes in second chances." "He spoke to us from the heart and that's all I'm going to say about it," said Bregman, who knew Osuna from when he played against him with Team USA. "It's a personal, team thing." McHugh acknowledged that he doesn't believe anyone is "comfortable" with the awkwardness surrounding Osuna's arrival. "Nobody in this clubhouse is going to condone anything that's happened off the field," McHugh said. "But at the same time, he's an Astro. He's a Houston Astro now. We take being a Houston Astro very seriously. What he's able to bring to this team is obviously a boatload of talent and hopefully another thing he's going to be able to bring is (to) find his way quickly and help us win baseball games." "I understand there's people who don't want this, don't support this," Luhnow said. "We've done everything we can to gather the information and make the best decision for the organization. We feel comfortable giving Roberto a second chance. And, long term, we're going to have to prove whether this works or not both by what happens on the field and what happens off the field."
Had Luhnow had today’s comments and statement prepared for the day the trade was made, I think he could have avoided a lot of backlash.
No way around it this move has absolutely tarnished the otherwise impeccable luster of this team in the eyes of many. A large part of what made this Astros team so damn amazing wasn’t just that they won it all, it was the way in which they did it - w class and an exuberance not often found in modern sports. They were a mostly homegrown team that overcame immeasurable adversity to cement a bond w not only the city but the entire country. They were THE feel good story of the sports world and the admiration of nearly everyone. We were different. We stood for something. We did it the right way. There was a reason to take pride in not only winning but winning the way we did. That has almost entirely been undone in one fell swoop. Lunhow has absolutely earned benefit of doubt in this but unless it comes out that the allegations against Osuna have been wildly overblown, this Astros team will never regain the good will they worked so hard to obtain... and there’s something innately disappointing about that.
A Lawyer’s Take: For Roberto Osuna Good read, click above for the link. Alison Craig, A Defense Attorney Below is an excerpt from above article. She is talking about Canadian law below. "Given my experience, however, I can make several general observations based on what we do know. Simple assault, which is what Osuna is charged with, is the least serious assault charge there is. If significant injuries of any sort were alleged, he would have been charged with either assault causing bodily harm or aggravated assault, both of which would result in much more severe penalties. In addition, he is only charged with one count of assault rather than several, which suggests that the allegation relates to an isolated incident rather than any alleged pattern of abuse. The conditions of Osuna’s bail require him to stay away from his home address and to refrain from contacting the complainant. I have heard several people make a rather big deal out of those conditions, suggesting that they mean the complainant is afraid of Osuna or that he is seen as an ongoing threat. If you take only one thing away from this article, please let it be this: they mean nothing of the sort." As has been reported time and time again. The media has no clue what happened. It's all rumor and speculation. All you can go by is the facts of the case.
That little Gurriel incident didn't exactly endear us to the country. And we got good by intentionally playing completely non competitive baseball for 3 seasons, many people wouldn't consider that doing it the right way. I have absolutely no problem with the way we did it, it was a great and legal strategy, and I was on board throughout. However most of the current fan base was busy ignoring them or insulting them until they started winning. And that's all that will matter. Unless this becomes a trend with Osuna, it will be become a background issue the same way Chapman's incident has.
Lol Many believe in giving others second chances. Be careful sometimes it's a long hard fall off your sanctimonious high horse.
Plenty of teams full of angels and saints don’t get remembered or revered if they lose. In fact, those fan bases chastise the front office for not taking chances, not taking risks, avoiding certain types of players. Very similar to what happened with the Texans in the Rick Smith era. The Astros have to win... there is no doubting that. Teams invariably have to take risks to attain/maintain that goal.
If, in the end, she did not suffer any physical abuse, that's great; I'm happy for her and her well-being. He was arrested & charged. He was suspended 75 games. He did not appeal the suspension, which cost him ~$2.65MM. The Blue Jays did not want him back on their team and traded a 23-year old, cost-controlled, elite closer for pennies on the dollar. And we can throw this on the pile of circumstantial evidence: the Astros, who did "unprecedented" due diligence on the case, are talking about second chances - generally, you don't give second chances to people who haven't yet exhausted their, you know, first chance. The only counter to what is an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence is WE DON'T KNOW, which only works if you ignore everything I just posted. It's true, we don't know any details of the actual incident, but we have plenty of actions taken as a result of the incident, and no one can claim those paint the incident as a potential misunderstanding in which Osuna did nothing wrong.
Obviously something happened, that much is clear. The people acting like there's a chance absolutely nothing happened have their Astros blinders on - if he had been traded to the Yankees everyone of these posters would have been saying he's guilty and a woman beater. That being said, there is a huge spectrum of what could have happened and while yes, it is all bad, there is a difference between doing what Ray Rice did and something such as pushing her to the ground. Edit: And to be fair the only reason the Jays didn't want him back is because they are awful right now. Had they been in contention I can guarantee you he would still be on the Blue Jays.
Well you do know for a fact based on what he was charged with by Canadian Law that she wasn't beat up. He was charged with simple assault. That would have been a different charge. It sounds like (all speculation from here) based on Canadian Law that he was drunk, it was a big argument that lead to yelling and screaming at each other. He might have thrown some books or something at a wall. He might have pushed her but no bruising or he might have said he would hit her but never did. He did not beat her up, he didn't hit her, there is no bodily injury....if so all of this would have been a different charge. He was not charged with assault causing bodily harm or aggravated assault. I'm not saying this isn't a bad situation or he was in the right... I'm saying based on what we know and the suspension he served, Osuna deserves a second chance. Again...based on what we know and reviewing the charges. Alison Craig, A Defense Attorney Below is an excerpt from above article. She is talking about Canadian law below. "Given my experience, however, I can make several general observations based on what we do know. Simple assault, which is what Osuna is charged with, is the least serious assault charge there is. If significant injuries of any sort were alleged, he would have been charged with either assault causing bodily harm or aggravated assault, both of which would result in much more severe penalties. In addition, he is only charged with one count of assault rather than several, which suggests that the allegation relates to an isolated incident rather than any alleged pattern of abuse. The conditions of Osuna’s bail require him to stay away from his home address and to refrain from contacting the complainant. I have heard several people make a rather big deal out of those conditions, suggesting that they mean the complainant is afraid of Osuna or that he is seen as an ongoing threat. If you take only one thing away from this article, please let it be this: they mean nothing of the sort."
The Astros should not trade for domestic abusers. What the Astros did was *exploit* the charge to get him at a discount, which makes it worse. *to you* - it makes no difference *to you.* But to me, and many others, the Astros exploiting a domestic violence case to acquire a player on the cheap is gross.
Not as bad as Ray Rice is an unacceptable standard. And "pushing her to the ground" would not merit a 75 game suspension. Granted, closers are a luxury on bad teams - but he's 23 & cost-controlled for the next three seasons. Assuming he's able to pick-up where he left off, performance-wise - and that he stays out of trouble, obviously - his value next July would've been infinitely higher. Toronto chose to deal him when he was severely devalued. Says a lot, too.
What does choking a woman get? What does shooting a gun in the vicinity of a woman and kids get? Can you see how pompous you sound right now? You've already convicted somebody based on circumstantial evidence... but still, in the end, you don't feel he deserves a second chance AFTER he's already served his suspension... a viewpoint our much smarter GM disagrees with. Also, the Astros just traded a 27 year old cost-controlled closer due to mental, attitude, and performance issues... one who they were just turning over critical ALCS games to be 6 out saves.... at a time where he likely had his lowest value. Teams can trade players whenever they want... regardless of whether or not it fits *your* biased and pre-conceived narrative. But, good job leaving the word "craven" out of your most recent posts.
Wait, wait, wait........... That's NOT what the article says. It says she likely did not receive "significant" injuries. It does NOT say she wasn't beaten. Assault means he physically attacked her. I don't know what the standard for "significant" injuries is in Canada (or here) - but we have to stop looking for ways to minimize this. She was assaulted and there doesn't need to be a broken arm or swollen black eye for that assault to have lasting implications. Yes, legally, there are levels of assault and those are important distinctions when it comes to punishment. *In a court of law.* But "he *only* did this or that..." in order to make ourselves feel better about the trade........ I find that gross.
No one is suggesting he didn't do anything wrong. But we also know he didn't beat her up or throw her down a staircase. We know she doesn't have bodily injuries. According to Canadian Law and the simple assault charge. It sounds like he was drinking and got into a huge yelling match with her. Possible he threw something at a wall, possible he pushed her, possible he said he would push her but never did. That is what simple assault is in Canada. Very wrong for this 22 year old but after his 75 game suspension for his charges in Canada.... I believe in the Astros due diligence and he deserves a second chance. I can only go by the rules of Canadian law. 1. He arrested & charged. Alison Craig, A Defense Attorney Below is an excerpt from above article. She is talking about Canadian law below. "Given my experience, however, I can make several general observations based on what we do know. Simple assault, which is what Osuna is charged with, is the least serious assault charge there is. If significant injuries of any sort were alleged, he would have been charged with either assault causing bodily harm or aggravated assault, both of which would result in much more severe penalties. In addition, he is only charged with one count of assault rather than several, which suggests that the allegation relates to an isolated incident rather than any alleged pattern of abuse. The conditions of Osuna’s bail require him to stay away from his home address and to refrain from contacting the complainant. I have heard several people make a rather big deal out of those conditions, suggesting that they mean the complainant is afraid of Osuna or that he is seen as an ongoing threat. If you take only one thing away from this article, please let it be this: they mean nothing of the sort." 2.He was suspended 75 games. He served his time and is allowed to play baseball according to MLB guidelines. He did not appeal the suspension, which cost him ~$2.65MM. Most don't appeal to get it over with. In Canada, the court system is slooooowwww. It was better for him to not appeal, plead not guilty and but the incident behind him. /QUOTE]
If your beaten....that wouldn't be simple assault. That would be assault causing bodily harm or aggravated assault. Look...if I'm wrong and he beat the ever living piss out of her. I want everyone who made the decision to put him on the Astros fired and I want to sue MLB for making the decision that it's even ok to play baseball again. I believe that this a case of a simple assault in Canada. Still bad but deserving of a second chance. All we can go by is what is in front of us.
Read the article you keep trotting out. He absolutely, unequivocally assaulted her. An assault is a physical attack. They determined he did not inflict "significant" injuries; that's the only distinction. You can hit somebody, repeatedly, and not inflict "significant injuries." We have to stop this idea that, because it's *only* assault, it's better. The standard for finding this objectionable should not be beating "the ever living piss out of her."
