“Yankees Aroldis Chapman said Wednesday morning that he no longer possesses any guns,” nypost. com reports, “in the wake of the incident that has him starting the 2016 season with a 30-game suspension.” Police investigated the Cuban-born closer on Oct. 30, after his girlfriend Cristina Barnea alleged that Chapman choked her during an argument at his Florida home, after Ms. Barnea discovered some disagreeable text messages on her boyfriend’s cell phone. That when Chapman headed for the garage and . . .
fired eight shots from a handgun, one of which “flew through a window and into an open field,” according to police reports. (To be clear, Chapman’s main squeeze was not in the garage at the time.) Chapman admitted to the negligent discharges, for which he wasn’t charged.
The League, however, suspended the pitcher for the first 30 games of the season. Chapman is chastened.
I want to take this opportunity — I want this to be clear — I’m apologizing because the use of the gun. It was bad judgment on my part. But I also want to say that I never hurt my girlfriend. I want this to be very clear. I’m taking this punishment because of my bad judgment. [It’s] something that I definitely want to put behind me and move on.
I wonder if someone who wasn’t an MLB player would receive similar prosecutorial discretion and retain his job. Meanwhile, Sunshine State thieves are on notice that Mr. Chapman is now disarmed.