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