Today, Major League Baseball has put Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar on its "ineligible list" due to a workplace sexual harassment allegation which occurred in 2014. MLB retained outside counsel to investigate the allegation when it came to their attention earlier this year. As a result of the investigation, Alomar will no longer be working for MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred as a special adviser on baseball on Puerto Rico.
The Toronto Blue Jays, with whom Alomar earned World Series rings in 1992 and 1993, have severed ties with Alomar who has long called Toronto home. The team announced it would be removing his name from its Level of Excellence and taking down his banner at Rogers Centre. The Baseball Hall of Fame, while shocked by the news, has no plans to remove Alomar's plaque from Cooperstown.
All of this raises questions. Namely what the hell did Alomar do to effectively be banished by MLB and his old team? Neither MLB nor the Blue Jays have divulged the nature of the sexual harassment allegation against him. It also appears that the individual making the accusation plans to initiate litigation against Alomar, MLB and the Blue Jays. So perhaps MLB and the Jays are doing this to indemnify themselves. In any case, if the lawsuit does proceed perhaps we will find out more about what led today's decision.
But until then question remains. Did Alomar do something worse than send a "dick pic"? That's what got Jared Porter fired as GM of the New York Mets in January and got former Mets manager and current Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway suspended last month pending an investigation. At this point, Porter could still theoretically find work in baseball and so might Callaway. However, Alomar has been declared persona non grata and we don't know why.
For his part, Alomar said he was "disappointed, surprised and upset with today's news". Alomar added, "With the current social climate, I understand why Major League Baseball has taken the position they have." He also expressed hope the "allegation can be heard in a venue that will allow me to address the accusation directly."
At no point did Alomar deny the allegation in any way. So perhaps Alomar did something he shouldn't have done. But does the punishment fit the crime?
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