Domingo German sat in front of a microphone and a camera on Wednesday afternoon to address for the first time, albeit virtually, his partner’s domestic violence and his subsequent 81-game suspension that kept him out of the entire season. Major League Baseball 2020.
German, a 28-year-old pitcher, returned to the Yankees last week when spring training began and was scheduled to speak to reporters on Sunday. But after a veteran player, the appeaser Zack Britton, said strong words about the situation, Yankees coach Aaron Boone admitted that his antenna was more animated and German finally decided it was best to speak to his teammates in particular before heading to the public.
“I want to take this opportunity before answering your questions to sincerely apologize to the Steinbrenner family, my teammates, the board and those close to me who love me,” said German in Spanish on Wednesday, reading a statement opening. “I made mistakes that I’m not proud of, which is why I want to apologize.”
German then apologized for not helping his teammates during the 2019 playoffs, which he lost while being investigated by the league for his violent actions against his partner in September. He thanked the Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman and Boone, for being patient and helping him, and promised to prove that he belonged to the team. He also apologized for his cryptic messages on social media. (Last summer, he wrote that he was leaving baseball and, last week, he wrote that “it was definitely over” along with his partner’s initials.)
He did not mention his partner, with whom he has at least one child, until the question and answer period of his press conference.
German was in the midst of a career season in 2019 when, after attending a Manhattan charity gala organized by his teammate CC Sabathia, he hurt his partner while intoxicated, according to the league investigation, whose details were not revealed when the German’s suspension was announced in January 2020.
German, who cooperated with the investigation, as well as others, did not appeal the discipline. He missed the rest of the 2019 regular season and postseason, and the entire 2020 season shortened to the pandemic.
Although the police were not involved in the case, the league learned of the incident through a chain of people in and around the Yankees who heard about German’s partner. (The league put her in touch with domestic violence experts.) Some at the Yankees club are aware of what happened that night; his partner contacted the wife of one of his teammates, and the couple went to their home the night of the incident to help.
So, when Britton was asked last week how the team would receive the German now that his suspension was over, his brutal honesty forced the Yankees and the German to reevaluate how they would handle their reinstatement.
“I don’t think he owes me anything,” said Britton. “I think there are things outside the field that he needs to look after. Sometimes you can’t control who your teammates are, and that’s the situation. I don’t agree with what he did. I don’t think it has a place in the game or off the field. “
He added later: “My job is to go out there and launch and do my job. So this is what my concern is there. But he owes me nothing. This is something he will have to deal with alone and make better choices going forward. “
On Twitter later that day, Britton responded to a criticism of his comments by writing, in part, “Do you think I don’t know the circumstances?”
Boone said he didn’t want to force German to address his teammates because he wanted it to be authentic. He admitted not taking the temperature of the club’s headquarters in relation to the German “as well as I should”.
Closer to the Yankees, Aroldis Chapman, who was suspended for 30 games in 2016 for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, said he had a long conversation with German over the weekend and explained the importance of addressing the situation. German did this on Tuesday, the first day of full-team training, speaking to the Yankees in two groups because of league rules that limit major encounters during the coronavirus pandemic.
“He ruined his life,” said the Yankees’ first baseman, Luke Voit, after German’s public apology on Wednesday. “I don’t tolerate any of the things he did. He’s getting a second chance at this. We protect him, but he is skating on thin ice and needs to compose himself. I think he’s taking the right steps to do that, but then again, he has to prove to us that he can do this. “
Last fall, Hal Steinbrenner, the team’s general managing partner, said in a radio interview for German to return that he needed to be comfortable with German’s regret for his actions and that he changed his life. German said he had not spoken to Steinbrenner, but Cashman and Boone had two long conversations with him.
“He did enough to gain the opportunity to be here and compete and be part of this team,” said Boone. “Now the proof is in the daily life he takes.”
German, who at a certain point in his press conference mentioned the name of his partner, said he remains with her. He said the advice required by the MLB as part of its treatment program has helped him improve his relationship with her.
Asked what he had done to ensure that his partner felt safe, he said: “We have had a lot of conversations about how this will not happen again. We will have better communication at home. “
German said he maintained a good relationship with Britton and appreciated the advice he received. He said he wants to talk to younger players about how to avoid the pitfalls of his life. Over the past year and a half away from the Yankees, he said he learned to think before he acted, to avoid bad habits and to seek help if he has problems.
With regard to fans or teammates who may never see him in the same way or feel uncomfortable rooting for him, German said: “I am willing to change, to be a different person and I will show it with my actions and my acts. “