Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Yasiel Puig made headlines for all the wrong reasons again earlier this evening, but thankfully it turned out to be much less serious than was initially reported.
Everything started when Puig reportedly got into a physical confrontation with his sister and multiple bar staffers, according to TMZ. Yeah, it was TMZ, but the news spread quickly across the Internet as supposedly reputable news outlets love to use TMZ reports as an excuse to forward gossip to readers with TMZ doing the dirty work. Nevertheless, the MLB was reportedly looking into the incident as a part of their new domestic violence policy, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. While it was only an investigation and likely based on the TMZ report, it seemed to give more momentum to the angle that a serious physical confrontation occurred.
Understandably, the incident crossed the line for many fans (including me) if the reports turned out to be true. Stuff like speeding and allegedly being annoying to teammates/coaches/media is one thing, but being involved in a domestic violence incident is another. Fortunately then, we started getting the feeling that maybe (shockingly) TMZ exaggerated the nature of the incident, as the AP story only mentioned “an argument with his sister” and “a fight with a bouncer”.
Then a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department clarified what went down according to them, and it was a lot less dramatic than what was reported earlier.
Miami PD spokesman: "No shoving was alleged" between Puig and his sister.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 28, 2015
Miami PD spokesman: "To the best of our knowledge, the only physical altercation was between the bouncer and Puig."
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 28, 2015
Because Puig and bouncer didn't have any interest in pressing charges against each other, Miami PD considers the case closed.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 28, 2015
Miami PD unsure of who started fight, Puig or bouncer. Puig says bouncer was physically aggressive. Bouncer says Puig sucker punched him.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 28, 2015
Miami PD spokesman chuckled when I told him TMZ referred to the Puig incident as a brawl. "I would say scuffle," he said.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) November 28, 2015
So basically, Puig got into an argument with his sister at a bar, and at some point he got into a “scuffle” with a bouncer for reasons that are in dispute. That’s a lot less serious than initially feared and a lot more just dumb, and unless something else pops up, it seems safe to conclude that it was a minor incident that got a lot more press thanks to shoddy reporting by TMZ and the fact that Puig is Puig.
That said, it’s yet another incident with Puig that generates negative attention for the Dodgers, asks questions about his personality working with the clubhouse, and most importantly makes you wonder whether he can fulfill his potential if he doesn’t seem to get it. As a fan of the guy’s on-field antics and his talent, it’s frustrating that steps forward (reports of getting in shape, being better in clubhouse) are always greeted by steps back (this incident). One can only hope the cycle that’s getting old will stop at some point, but it’s become almost an annual event.
