It appears we now know why the Aroldis Chapman trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers has been put on hold.
The highly-coveted Cincinnati Reds closer was involved in a domestic incident in October, during which more than a dozen police officers responded to his Miami-area home, according to a police report obtained by Yahoo! Sports.
Chapman and his girlfriend allegedly got into a fight at a party after the girlfriend confronted the All-Star closer over something she found on his phone. She told police Chapman put his hand around her throat and choked her in the theater room of his home, but that she could breath the entire time. Police found no evidence of “injuries or even redness anywhere on her neck or chest,” according to the report.
At some point either during or after the fight, Chapman fired eight gunshots in his garage — seven of which hit the concrete wall and one that went through a window and into an open field.
Chapman admitted to the fight and the gunshots when speaking with police, but said he simply poked his girlfriend on her left shoulder with his index and middle finger and told her “not to talk to him like that.” Chapman’s girlfriend allegedly ran outside with her four-month-old child after that incident. Chapman told police he has a child with the woman, but it is unclear if the child at the party was his.
Another man, identified in the report as Chapman’s driver, told police that the girlfriend “returned to the theater room, charging at Chapman and tackled him.”
Police made no arrests “due to conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved.”
Jay Reisinger, Chapman’s attorney, is denying the reports.
“I’ve reviewed the facts as portrayed,” Reisinger told Yahoo. “On behalf of Mr. Chapman, we vehemently deny the allegations as stated. Beyond that, we have no further comment at this time.”
It’s unclear which allegations are being denied, considering Chapman is on record telling police an incident happened and that he was involved.
The Reds declined an opportunity to give Yahoo a statement, and Major League Baseball told Yahoo it would investigate the incident.
Thumbnail photo via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images
