May 1, 2012
MLB suspends Delmon Young over anti-Semitic altercation
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Detroit Tigers' left fielder Delmon Young drops a ball in the bottom of the eighth inning during a game in Chicago on April 13. Photo by REUTERS/Jim Young
Delmon Young, the Detroit Tigers outfielder arrested in New York for allegedly attacking a group of men and making anti-Semitic remarks, was suspended without pay for seven days.
The suspension is retroactive to April 27, when he was placed on the restricted list. His loss of pay amounts to more than $250,000, according to the Detroit News. Young will not contest the suspension.
Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced the suspension on April 30, saying, “Those associated with our game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game’s stature as a social institution. An incident like this cannot and will not be tolerated. I think that Mr. Young is regretful, and it is my expectation that he will learn from this unfortunate episode.”
Young is facing a misdemeanor aggravated harassment hate crime charge stemming from the April 27 incident outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the Tigers were staying before the start of a series with the New York Yankees that night. He is scheduled to appear in court in New York on May 29 and faces up to a year in jail if convicted.
According to reports, a group of tourists staying at the hotel were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke. Young yelled anti-Semitic epithets at the group. Young also reportedly shoved one of the men, who sustained minor injuries. Young was taken to the hospital after the incident.
A New York Police Department spokesman told the New York Post that it was unclear whether the alleged victim, described as a 32-year-old male, was Jewish.
Young, who endured a 50-game suspension in 2006 for throwing a bat at an umpire, apologized for the New York incident in a news release.
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement saying it was “deeply disturbed” by reports of the player’s outburst. “Bigoted words are unbecoming for any professional sports player and anti-Semitism certainly has no place in the game, either on or off the field,” the group said.
