Sometimes a headline or a story catches me so off-guard that I don’t really know what to say about it even as I know it’s sufficiently notable that we should discuss it. Very, very serious charges are apparently being leveled at Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna.
The 30-year-old was arrested today:
Atlanta Braves star Marcell Ozuna was arrested today and charged with aggravated assault strangulation and misdemeanor battery – family violence in Sandy Springs, Ga., according to jail records on the Fulton County (Ga.) website.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 30, 2021
Marcell Ozuna, who is on the injured list with two broken fingers, signed a four-year, $65 million contract with Atlanta this offseason. He is a two-time All-Star who finished sixth in National League MVP voting last year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 30, 2021
As Passan notes, Ozuna was already off the diamond because of his injury, but that now seems like such a blip compared to the charges he’s facing. It’s hard to even register the baseball component (i.e., how his absence will impact the team, the division, the playoff race, etc.), because the description is so jarring.
There will be more investigation and more context. A process is necessary, though MLB has the ability under its domestic violence rules to impose penalties regardless of the criminal process. Honestly I hate to even think about what might have happened in this case.
Presumably the Braves will release a statement at some point, as will MLB, though it’s likely that it’ll be a boilerplate acknowledgement of the arrest and the start of an investigation.
UPDATE: The police later released details of the arrest, and it not only sounds worse, but they actually witnessed the attack in progress, and the victim, his wife, had visible injuries:
Marcell Ozuna grabbed his wife by the neck and threw her against a wall, and hit her with his cast, according to Sandy Springs Police who say they witnessed it. From SSPD: pic.twitter.com/AErSrEJ9VX
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 30, 2021