Once again, Trevor Bauer has made all the headlines. This time, however, it has nothing to do with his comments bashing Major League Baseball, foreign substances, or his electric play.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace has been in the spotlight for sexual assault accusations. But after months of legal turmoil, it seems like the former CY Young award winner will be off the hook, at least in terms of civil charges.
Bauer Won't Face Criminal Charges
The DA's office determined that, albeit Bauer did in fact sexually assault the unnamed San Diego woman who accused him, everything happened within the confines of consent.
“After a thorough review of the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” the Los Angeles County district attorney wrote, per The Athletic.MLB Hasn't Made A Statement… Yet
Bauer spent the final months of the season on administrative leave while the league conducted its own investigation.
Now, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred is expected to make a statement as he can suspend him under the league's domestic violence policy:
"In a statement, MLB said its investigation into Bauer "is ongoing, and we will comment further at the appropriate time." The conclusion of the criminal investigation — more than five months after an L.A. judge dismissed the woman's request for a restraining order — could allow the league to interview Bauer, which would seemingly expedite the process. But the league is not expected to dole out a potential suspension until after the current lockout concludes," reported ESPN.Will The Dodgers Bring Him Back?
There's still a chance that he won't be suspended, though, which would put the Dodgers in quite a tough spot.
They should follow the steps of other ball clubs in similar situations and not let Bauer wear their uniform ever again. At least, that seems to be what Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks:
"It’s time for the Dodgers to do what they should have done months ago. It’s time for them to publicly disown Trevor Bauer by promising their fans and community he will never again take the mound in a Dodgers uniform," Plashcke said. It’s one sentence. It speaks volumes."Bauer Shares His Side Of The Story
Truth to form, it didn't take long before Bauer broke the silence and shared his side of the story in his YouTube channel:
"She chose to stay the night, both times, and left the following day without any incident or concern," Bauer said. "And when she left, she certainly did not look anything like the photos that were later attached to her family court declaration and circulated by her lawyers to the media. While this is not the time, nor the place, to address every single lie or falsehood that this woman or her lawyers made to the court, I do want to be crystal clear about a few things: I never punched this woman in the face. I never punched her in the vagina. I never scratched her face. I never had anal sex with her, or sodomized her in any way. I never assaulted her in any way at any time. And while we did have consensual rough sex, the disturbing acts and conduct that she described simply did not occur."Now, we'll have to wait and see how this story unfolds.
]]>The Inquisitr
