Roberto Osuna on domestic violence allegations: 'Everybody is quick to judge me'
Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna was arrested May 8 for domestic assault. He received a 75-game suspension from Major League Baseball on June 22. The Toronto Blue Jays traded Osuna to the Astros on July 30. He was activated from his suspension Aug. 5.
In that period, Osuna has not spoken on the record about his domestic violence allegations until now. Osuna told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that he believes people are judging him too quickly.
Roberto Osuna says people are ‘quick to judge me’
Osuna added that he’s waiting for the details of his arrest to emerge so people know the truth.
“No one knows what happened but obviously me,’’ Osuna told USA Today Sports in a 20-minute interview. “Everybody is quick to judge me and say all kinds of things about it. I’m just waiting for everything to come out so people can really wait to see what happened. I would really like the fans, and everybody else, (to) learn what the media says is not true.
“The biggest thing for me, and it’s sad to me, (is) how people are free to say whatever they want. They can just judge you, and they don’t know you. Everybody is judging me for things they don’t know. I don’t like that.”
Roberto Osuna can’t talk about what happened the night of his arrest
Osuna did not get into specifics during the interview since the situation remains unresolved. He has a hearing scheduled Sept. 5.
Astros teammates still unsure how to talk about Roberto Osuna
Both Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers Jr. are still hesitant to address Osuna’s situation. Verlander said he still holds a strict view on domestic violence, but is waiting for all the information to come out regarding Osuna. McCullers said he would not comment on the issue until “everything plays out.”
Both Verlander and McCullers were vocal when Astros minor-leaguer Danry Vasquez was caught on video hitting his girlfriend. The Astros released Vasquez shortly after the video emerged. Verlander said the reason he spoke out loudly in that instance but not with Osuna is due to having visual evidence of the assault.
Some Astros players will defend Roberto Osuna
Not all Astros players reserved comments. Alex Bregman believes people are going to alter their opinions once all the facts are revealed.
“I think once the truth comes out, a lot of people are going to eat their words. … He’s been an unbelievable teammate, and a great guy.’’
Pitcher Charlie Morton didn’t comment on Osuna’s arrest, but said Osuna had been “great” in the clubhouse.
Astros still dealing with angry fans after trade for Roberto Osuna
The Astros received a fair amount of criticism from fans after trading for Osuna. Team owner Jim Crane said the team plans to “do some stuff around the ballpark that will hopefully benefit women’s centers that address this problem.”
– – – – – – –
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Dan Wetzel: Ohio State pours gas on growing rivalry with Texas
• Why an NFL QB left a $90M offer on the table
• Red Sox star under fire for post about Hitler, guns
• How one MLB player got ejected twice in a single game
