Mets, K-Rod Moving Towards Settlement

By: Stephen Patterson

The New York Mets and troubled closer Francisco Rodriguez are moving closer to a settlement, and the grievance hearing scheduled for Monday will no longer happen, according to a report by The New York Post. K-Rod has been surrounded by controversy since allegedly striking his girlfriend's father after a game at Citi Field in August. Rodriguez was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, over the incident.

Following his arrest, Rodriguez appeared in only one game for the Mets before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament. The Mets have said that the injury occurred during the altercation, and that was their reason for trying to change his contract into a non-guaranteed deal. If the two sides reach an agreement, it is likely K-Rod will make most, if not all, of the $11.5 million he is scheduled to earn next season.

The altercation occurred in the family lounge at Citi Field following their 6-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, and many players had relatives in the area at the time of the incident. According to the New York Post, Rodriguez went off on reporters after the game, but prior to the incident occurring. He also reportedly had confrontations with a team official, a coach, and an opponent during his time in New York prior to the incident in August. Along with his assault charge, Rodriguez also faces a charge of allegedly violating an order of protection by text messaging his girlfriend dozens of times. His criminal attorney, Christopher Booth, has recently indicated there may be a settlement reached on both charges before his next hearing, scheduled for Nov. 10.

Even if Rodriguez doesn't face any serious legal repercussions over the incident, he should at least be held accountable in some form by the team. In my opinion, that should come in the form of either a reduction in his salary for next season or a suspension of at least 15 games. To some people, these might sound like harsh punishments, but Rodriguez permanently ruined his name, and didn't do any favors for the Mets' either, by attacking someone twice his age, much less doing so in front of children who were in the lounge at the time. 

While Rodriguez apologized for the incident and seems genuinely remorseful, there is no excuse for exploding like that in front of the wives and children of your teammates. My temper is almost as short as Mike Singletary's hair, but I can't envision a situation where I would walk into a room filled with mostly women and children, and just start hitting someone right in front of them. There will be prices Rodriquez will have to pay for his actions that day, including his current situation of not being able to see his own children and forever having his name smeared by the incident, but Rodriguez still deserves more official punishment than some anger-management sessions and relatively inexpensive fines.