What to Know
- In a lengthy blog post, Melisa Reidy-Russell detailed allegations of physical mistreatment and "emotional and verbal abuse"
- The post, titled "You no longer have a secret, you have a story," marks the second time such allegations have surfaced against the Cubs star
- Russell had previously denied such accusations
Major League Baseball has reportedly extended the administrative leave for Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell.
Russell will now be on paid leave through Sunday, which marks the end of the regular season, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
The team is currently vying to maintain its narrow lead in the Central Division, but has already guaranteed its spot in the playoffs.
Russell was placed on administrative leave for seven days last week following new allegations of abuse published by his ex-wife in a blog post. Cubs President Theo Epstein noted, however, that the leave could be extended up to 14 days if the league chose to.
In a lengthy blog post published last week, Melisa Reidy-Russell detailed allegations of physical mistreatment and "emotional and verbal abuse."
"The first time I was physically mistreated by my spouse, I was in shock," Reidy-Russell wrote. "I couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened…Why did he get so angry? What did I do for him to want to put his hands on me? Of course I forgave him & assumed it would never happen again."
Chicago Baseball
The post, titled "You no longer have a secret, you have a story," marks the second time such allegations have surfaced against the Cubs star.
Just before the couple filed for divorce, Reidy-Russell published a highly-publicized Instagram post accusing her husband of infidelity. Though the post was eventually deleted, a comment from one of her friends alluded to domestic violence allegations.
Major League Baseball reportedly launched an investigation into the claims at the time, but the Chicago Tribune reports Reidy-Russell declined to cooperate with that investigation. Earlier this week, Rosenthal said that Reidy-Russell had spoken to the league, and that Russell's leave was not just a result of the blog post that his ex-wife wrote.
"These allegations are completely false. I made that clear to Major League Baseball last year and reiterated it to the Cubs today," Russell said in a statement Friday. "I’m confident any full and fair investigation will fully exonerate me. The protection of my children is foremost in my mind so I will have no further comment."
Major League Baseball said it "takes allegations of Domestic Violence seriously."
"With the new details revealed in today's blog post by Ms. Russell, Mr. Russell has been placed on Administrative Leave in accordance with the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy," the league said in a statement last week. "We are hopeful that this new information will allow us to complete the investigation as promptly as possible."
The Cubs also issued a statement after the decision by the league, saying that they supported it.
"We take allegations of domestic violence seriously and support the league's decision to place Addison Russell on administrative leave given new details revealed today," the team said. "We will continue to cooperate with the league's investigation so the appropriate action can be taken."
Epstein told media that he and team owner Tom Ricketts informed Russell of the decision to place him on leave Friday morning.
Epstein also revealed that the investigation by MLB into the allegations of abuse has been "ongoing," and that the team is prohibited from conducting its own investigation or administering its own punishment to Russell while that investigation is taking place.
"Any time there are accusations of this nature, it has to be taken very seriously," Epstein said. "All parties have an obligation to get to a just and fair resolution."
Epstein said that Russell once again denied the allegations that he had abused his wife when they discussed the decision on Friday.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and more resources can be found at thehotline.org.
