Delmon Young pleads guilty to aggravated harassment

The Tigers outfielder must serve 10 days community service as punishment for anti-Semitic remarks and tackling a passer-by.

Tigers Reinstate Delmon Young, Designate Brad Eldred For Assignment

Delmon Young’s seven-day suspension by MLB for his actions last Friday in New York ends Friday, and so the team is reinstating him to the active roster. Chris Iott:

The Detroit Tigers planned to reinstate Delmon Young from the restricted list today, the first day he was eligible to return from a seven-day suspension handed down by Major League Baseball. The only question centered around how the Tigers would make room for him.

The Tigers answered that question today when they designated the contract of Brad Eldred for assignment.

In removing Eldred from the roster, the Tigers retain Danny Worth, who had been recalled when Young was suspended. Worth has gone just 1-for-8, but Eldred was just 3-for-16 since joining the team.

The Tigers have to hope Young sticks to baseball and hits better than the .242 mark he had posted before last Friday’s unfortunate incident in New York City. Young will not, according to Iott’s article, be in the starting lineup for Friday’s game vs. the White Sox, but will be available off the bench.

Delmon Young Suspended 7 Days Without Pay

It's generally not a great idea to get really drunk, and while a lot of people get really drunk, you have to be careful when you're a person of a certain standing. If you're reasonably well-known, and you get really drunk, it's really not a great idea to start getting all anti-Semitic. Detroit Tigers "outfielder" Delmon Young failed to heed this advice and now he's been punished by Major League Baseball:

Delmon gets 7 days w/o pay ban retro to last friday

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) April 30, 2012

Added Bud Selig in a statement:

Those associated with game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game’s stature as a social institution.

There's a whole angle here about MLB punishing Young without having punished its long line of drunk drivers, and that's an angle worth exploring. Here, though, what matters is Young, and how he's being dealt with after an incident of profound ugliness. He'll get a few more days of uncomfortable inactivity, then he'll get a whole lot of days of uncomfortable activity.

MLB Will Suspend Tigers' Delmon Young

The Detroit Tigers’ Delmon Young is in a heap of trouble.

He’s under arrest for a drunken, anti-Semitic rant outside the team hotel on Friday night in New York City, during which there was a physical altercation. He’s been charged with second-degree aggravated harassment; it’s been classified as a hate crime, which could carry larger penalties.

The Tigers placed him on the restricted list; now, he’s in for more penalties from MLB. Andy Soltis of the New York Post:

Major League Baseball has decided to suspend Detroit Tigers slugger Delmon Young because of his drunken anti-Semitic rant and arrest, two sources have told The Post.

The announcement could come as early as today.

Young was arrested for hate crime harassment about 2:40 a.m. Friday after he shouted anti-Semitic slurs and allegedly shoved a tourist to the ground outside the Hilton Hotel.

The tourist was chatting with a panhandler who was wearing a yarmulke and a Star of David before the star outfielder’s outburst.

The Post article doesn’t say how long the suspension will be, but notes that Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell was suspended for two weeks after using foul language and making gay slurs to fans before a game in San Francisco.

It’s not clear whether Young, as a member of the MLBPA, would have the right to appeal a suspension while on the restricted list.

For more on the Tigers and Young, please visit Bless You Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Delmon Young Will Be Evaluated Monday, Could Return To Action This Week

Delmon Young will undergo a psychological and medical evaluation Monday, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters on Saturday. If he passes the evaluation, he could be activated from the restricted list and return to Detroit's lineup as soon as Tuesday.

Young, arrested early Friday morning following a physical altercation with four men outside his hotel, has been charged with second-degree aggravated harassment. The incident has been classified as a hate crime, as Young allegedly used anti-Semitic slurs during the altercation. Dombrowski confirmed that Young was inebriated.

"Those situations themselves are concerning and not what you would like to see," Dombrowski said, according to the New York Times. "If the allegations are true, that is also concerning and not what you'd like to see happen. I do not know what happened there. I do know the other things."

"If he is cleared by the doctors, he would be in a position to play at that time," he added. "Everything at that point is still allegations."

Young has apologized for the incident. It's possible he will avoid punishment by the Tigers and Major League Baseball until his criminal case is complete.

Tigers Place Delmon Young On Restricted List

After Delmon Young’s arrest in New York City early Friday, and the possible charges he might face, the Detroit Tigers placed him on the restricted list, per MLB.com Tigers beat writer Jason Beck:

As expected, #Tigers place Delmon Young on restricted list. Danny Worth has been recalled from @MudHens.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 28, 2012

Worth is a career minor-leaguer in the Tigers system; an infielder, he was beginning his fourth season at Triple-A Toledo. Don Kelly played left field in Young’s place on Friday night, and Jim Leyland will likely use Kelly, along with Brennan Boesch and Andy Dirks, to fill in until Young’s status is clear.

Players on the restricted list don’t count against 25- or 40-man roster limits and don’t get service time while they’re on the list. Depending on the situation, they can be paid, or not paid; that’s generally subject to negotiation between the team and the MLBPA.

For more on Young and the Tigers, please visit Bless You Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Delmon Young, Lawyer Issue Statements

I don't know what happened Thursday night in New York.

You don't know what happened Thursday night in New York.

It's quite possible that Delmon Young doesn't know exactly what happened, Thursday night in New York. After all, sources suggest he was "highly intoxicated" Thursday night; or rather, early Friday morning, when Young was arrested outside a New York hotel after allegedly pushing a man to the ground. Worse, Young has been accused of using a religious epithet, and so might be prosecuted for a "hate crime" atop the routine assault charge.

Friday afternoon, Young issued an official statement:

I sincerely regret what happened last night. I apologize to everyone I affected, the Ilitch family, the Detroit Tigers' organization, my teammates, my family, and the great Tigers' fans that have supported me since day one. I take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that I will do everything I can to improve myself as a person and player.

Young's official legal representative also issued an official statement:

I represent Delmon Young with respect to the incident that occurred last night. With this matter now in the legal system, Delmon is unable to make any further statements or discuss this matter in further detail. All future press or investigative inquiries should be directed to me. Let me be clear, there are many false allegations regarding the actions of my client and I am confident that the legal process will separate fact from fiction and discredit these reports.

Unless the charges are quickly dropped, this figures to take some time to wend its way through the system. In the short term, Delmon Young's not in the Tigers' lineup against the Yankees. In the medium term, he'll probably resume his duties in left field because baseball teams are in the baseball business.

Source: The Oakland Tribune

Detroit Tigers Release Statement On Delmon Young

The Detroit Tigers know they should say something about Delmon Young, who was arrested and could be charged with a hate crime after an incident in New York on Friday morning. But they also know that they can't say anything. Their official statement:

We are aware of the situation, however it is our club policy not to comment on pending legal matters. As we understand it, this is an allegation and we need to allow the legal process to take its course. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time. Per a provision in the Major League Baseball Basic Agreement, any allegation that involves alcohol is referred to MLB's Employee Assistance Program.

There isn't much more they can do. While it sure doesn't sound good for Young, it is important to remember that this is an allegation, not a conviction. The crimes he's being accused of are repugnant, but all we know right now are scant details.

Delmon Young Could Be Charged With Hate Crime

Getting charged with assault? That's the kind of thing that will damage a player's reputation. Getting charged with a hate crime because of anti-Semitic remarks? Hoo boy. From the Detroit Free Press:

"Basically, there was an incident at the hotel (and) some anti-Semitic remarks," said Detective Joseph Cavitolo,

Young faces an "aggravated harassment hate crime" charge and will be processed through central booking later today, Cavitolo said.

Young was arrested after an incident early Friday morning in New York with an unidentified 32-year-old male. If accurate, the anti-Semitic remarks could shift this from an off-field issue that baseball wouldn't want to touch (like drunk driving or spousal abuse) to something that baseball will have to address with some sort of reprimand on its own, either at the league or team level (like smoking pot or saying nice things about Fidel Castro).

A reminder: Young has been in trouble because of his anger-management issues before. In the minors, he expressed his displeasure with an umpire in an unorthodox way:

Tigers' Delmon Young Arrested In New York For Assault

The Tigers outfielder is in trouble after an alleged assault early Friday morning in New York City.