Marcell Ozuna Returns to the Braves

Last season, Major League Baseball announced that outfielder Marcell Ozuna from the Atlanta Braves would be on a 20-game, unpaid suspension due to multiple violations of the MLB domestic violence and assault policies. With the suspension coming in November, and the arrest in late May, plus an injury keeping him off the field since May 25, Ozuna only played the first month and a half of his four-year contract with the Braves. This suspension relieved him of playing through the end of the season (meaning he didn’t play in the World Series Championship games), though he would be able to play in the opening game of the 2022 season. On top of the loss of his season, the suspension would wind up costing him $1.55 million of his $12 million salary for the season, nonetheless he remains entering the new season in the second year of his four-year, $65 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. 

Ozuna was arrested and charged with domestic violence in the form of the officer-viewed strangling of his wife in May of 2021. Bodycam footage obtained two days after the suspension, shows Ozuna grabbing his wife’s neck while officers were arriving at the scene. The Sandy Springs Police claimed in their May statement that Ozuna threw her against a wall and struck her with his left-hand cast. These felony charges were then dropped by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and changed to a charge of two misdemeanors of battery and assault. All of this violated the MLB’s Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Sexual Assault policies. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred completed an investigation into the allegations against Ozuna and “concluded that Mr. Ozuna violated [their] Policy and that discipline is appropriate.” The team agreed with the decision stating that domestic violence is “unacceptable” in any situation and they were hopeful in knowing that Marcell was accepting responsibility for his actions and taking steps to “learn and grow from the situation.” In the end, Marcell Ozuna agreed to a pretrial intervention program that would dismiss the charges after making an agreement with the Fulton County prosecutors. In addition to this, he was required to do a 24-week family violence intervention program, an anger management course, and a minimum of 200 community service hours. 

Now, Ozuna is eligible to play again, and play he has. On the first day back at spring training, Marcell apologized to his team, claiming, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake,” and just like old times, his team gathered around his locker in the locker room, happy to have him back. Ronald Acuña Jr., who was out for the end of the 2021 season with a torn ACL from July, and is currently on a Triple-A rehabilitation assignment, said through his translator that it is “good to have him back.” Praising his teammate, he said, “You know, he’s such a good ballplayer. You know…the things that happened off the field, those are challenges for everyone. Certain things that happen off the field, they can happen to anyone.” Ozuna has apologized to his fans, hoping for their forgiveness, while stating, “I’m going to give you the best and I’m going to be a better person, and I’m sorry.” When asked what he wanted to say to his fans that are victims of domestic violence themselves, he said, “Just treat me as the person I was before. Like, I was an amazing person out in the field. So I want to be like that. I’m going to give you my smile. If they think it’s not time to give me [a] good crowd, it’s OK.” From his counseling, Ozuna is saying that he has learned how to treat a person, and how to become a better person, dad, and human being. He has also said that he didn’t think he’d spent time alone with his kids before last summer and has now been taking them to playgrounds and toy stores to make up for the lost time. He claims to be “on the same page” with his family as of now. He is now “family first,” claiming he worries about his family, then playing, being honest with his team, and working his hardest. 

Many victims of domestic and sexual abuse are stepping forward with the newfound confidence to distinguish their abusers. However, the policies in place make it seem easy to get away with all of it. As a first time assailant, Ozuna entered the state pre-trial intervention program, the completion of which would lead to his case being dropped. After completing the program in under six months and only missing the end of his first season with the Atlanta Braves, Ozuna seems to be a free man. Forty-eight states, along with DC, have established pretrial diversion programs. For first time abusers, this can let them get off the hook. Regardless, plenty of cases surrounding domestic violence don’t go into these programs and yet many abusers remain unscathed by the justice system. We can hope that Ozuna will be changed by these programs, but it is impossible to assume that anything will change in the state of how cases of abuse are handled in our world. 

If you are experiencing domestic abuse or violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline number is 800-799-7233. 

By Samantha Weiner