On Friday, MLB placed Cubs’ infielder Addison Russell on administrative leave due to allegations of domestic abuse. Before we get to the events of Thursday and Friday let’s recap everything up to this point.
Melisa Reidy’s domestic abuse allegations deserve to be heard, regardless of timing
Addison Russell’s ex-wife posted about years of abuse at the hands of the Cubs player. It’s her right to do that on her own time.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The situation has been developing for over a year.
In 2017, Addison Russell was accused of domestic abuse when his then-wife Melisa Reidy posted a photo to Instagram and one of her friends commented on the post accusing Russell of mentally and physically abusing his wife. The league investigated the claims, and he sat out of a game or two, but after Melisa declined to participate in the investigation, no suspension was handed down. The investigation remained open, but the league did not comment further. Even Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn’t know it was still active.
Shortly after, she filed for divorce. Then, on Sept. 19, Reidy posted a lengthy blog post detailing the years of physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband.
It includes details like how emotional and verbal abuse was “an everyday thing,” that Russell cheated on her with several women, how she thought something was wrong with her and she “completely lost focus of life” due to depression. She added that he laid hands on her in front of their young son, and that there were times that she “couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.” She said once she successfully left the situation, “It took months for night terrors to stop, to not have panic attacks three times a week, to look in the mirror and not feel worthless.”
It’s a horrifying, stunning list of events that no one should ever have to experience.
The courage that Melisa Reidy showed by posting it, knowing that once again she would be heavily scrutinized, insulted, and doubted, is astonishing. I’m proud of her bravery and cannot fathom the strength it takes to do such a thing publicly.
Russell was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 21, and MLB said in a statement:
“Major League Baseball takes all allegations of Domestic Violence seriously. When the allegations against Addison Russell became public on June 7, 2017, the Commissioner’s Office’s Department of Investigations immediately commenced an investigation. Melisa Russell declined to participate in the investigation at that time. Our investigation of this matter has remained open and we have continued our efforts to gather information.
“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. We are hopeful that this new information will allow us to complete the investigation as promptly as possible.”
Russell also released a statement through the Players Association, saying,
“These allegations are completely false. I made that clear to Major League Baseball last year and reiterated it to the Cubs today. 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.
Cubs GM Theo Epstein skirted around the situation by saying “I would say that I know him in a baseball context” when asked about Russell’s character. Fellow Cubs player Anthony Rizzo less wisely said that he hadn’t read the post but “I guess the investigation is still on going, which is crazy because it’s been over a year now, right? I guess someone isn’t doing their investigative work very good.”
In the wake of these details going public, accusations online have included that it’s not legitimate because she posted it on her blog rather than filing a police report, timing the post for attention, and seeking attention now that she’s not married to a pro athlete. As is common in many cases of this nature, there are calls to to hear both sides to ensure that it’s an accurate report or that she’s not credible because she waited so long to come forward instead of cooperating with last year’s investigation.
Here’s the thing — Melisa Reidy does not owe anyone her promptness.
She does not need to operate on a league or a team or fanbase’s schedule to be believed. She does not need to explain to anyone whether she delayed coming forward in this manner because she was worried her safety, or if she simply needed time to properly confront what she went through.
But you know what? It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if she posted this account of her experiences the day after they happened, the week she filed for divorce, right now, or five years from now. As we’ve unfortunately seen almost-constantly in the news cycle at the moment, the more time that passes between a woman’s assault or abuse and her public claims of said abuse the less likely she is to be believed. Ulterior motives are assigned. Insults are volleyed.
Recovery from abuse does not operate logically, or expediently. Melisa Reidy’s accounts of her marriage to Russell are awful and heartbreaking, and they are no less so because we are reading about them after she officially left him.
The reaction to Reidy’s claims does not make it easier for other women to feel like they will be believed in a similar situation, or give them confidence that if they leave, they will be supported in the public eye. Words and reactions ripple outwards, are noticed by victims, and how those with the power take a stand regarding these allegations and react is important, too. If they see such strength confronted with nothing but doubt and vitriol it makes it less likely others will leave. That’s as true in sports as it is in politics or business or a small neighborhood.
The Cubs, as an organization, put a decent face forward on Friday, give or take some player quotes. The front office said all the right things ... for now.
But it needs to be asked if they did anything last year that contributed to Reidy’s decision to not speak with the league at that time, beyond her desire for all of it to come to a swift resolution for her and her son. Question what else they or the league could have done to support her during the investigation, whether she wanted to cooperate at that time or not. If the Cubs’ history of employing, and lionizing, domestic abusers like Aroldis Chapman (who won a World Series with Chicago in 2016) contributed to Reidy’s unwillingness to share her experiences with the organization or the league.
It needs to be asked if the league could have made more of an effort to assure her they would stand by her after the investigation concluded as well, that they would use their extensive resources to make sure she and her son were protected and supported. That it was made clear to her that they would still investigate Russell whether she cooperated or not (as should absolutely be the case) and that the burden was not entirely on her to relive her trauma so a private corporation can make a decision about one of their employees.
And even if all of that happened in 2017 ... it doesn’t matter.
Reidy’s timetable doesn’t matter in this situation. Because it’s exactly that: hers. What matters is that her words are given weight, that now that she has shared her experiences Russell’s alleged actions can be revisited and fully-informed decisions can be made about his future in baseball.
If Reidy is heard, and the response from the league and the team from here forward makes even one victim of abuse feel more comfortable and supported coming forward in the future, than that will be a step in the right direction. If only we weren’t reliving the same small steps without end.
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