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Jose Reyes: 'I stand up for the terrible mistake that I made'
Sunday was a day of firsts for New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. Yes, he would be making his 2016 debut for one of the team's minor-league clubs, but he would also have to face the media for the first time since his domestic violence arrest last November.
Reyes was arrested and charged after allegedly grabbing his wife by the throat and throwing her into a sliding door. Those charges were dropped, however, after Reyes' wife refused to cooperate with prosecutors.
Reyes was placed on paid leave initially as Major League Baseball investigated the situation. Eventually, commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Reyes until May 31. The Colorado Rockies parted ways with him shortly after that, and he re-signed with the Mets.
Reyes made his 2016 debut Sunday with the Brooklyn Cyclones, and attempted to address the domestic violence arrest after the game, according to David Adler of MLB.com.
Here is the transcript of that exchange, according to Adler.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I'm a human being. People make mistakes. For me, I stand up for the terrible mistake that I made. I'm sorry to my wife, my family, to all the fans that follow me.
"I respect it if people don't like me anymore. I respect that because I put myself in that situation. But people need a second chance. I have to thank Sandy [Alderson] and Jeff [Wilpon] to get that chance to come back.
"Let's make something clear: I never broke up with my family. They were together with me through this tough process that I've been through. We never broke up. She's here today, with my kids, enjoying the game. We've been together. We're just trying to be a happy family again."
It was technically not the first time Reyes commented on his domestic violence arrest. The 33-year-old did release a statement shortly after signing with the club. It was, however, the first time he made public comments in front of reporters.
As far as his statement goes, it will likely please some and disappoint others. Some fans have already embraced Reyes' return, and were cheering for him during the contest. Another contingent did not feel comfortable with the Mets making the move due to Reyes domestic violence arrest.
This will likely not be the last time Reyes speaks on the issue. Reyes will again have to answer questions once he makes his return to the majors.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik