My Thoughts on Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer being Accused of Assault: Cut him Dodgers!
Content warning: The details in this article include allegations of sexual assault that may be difficult to read and triggering.
On Tuesday night, a TMZ report surfaced that Dodgers star pitcher Trevor Bauer is under investigation for assault. This morning, Britt Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic reported some horrific and sickening details from the restraining order filed against Trevor Bauer on Monday, June 28, 2021. I strongly recommend you read it if it does not trigger you.
The report details the woman repeatedly being punched in the face by Bauer, which caused two black eyes and a fracture in her skull. The report also describes Bauer knocking the woman unconscious and sexually assaulting her. Jon Fetterolf, Bauer’s agent, made a statement on Tuesday night:
“‘Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the accuser] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [the accuser] repeatedly asking for ‘rough’ sexual encounters involving requests to be ‘choked out’ and slapped in the face.’
In both of their encounters, [the accuser] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer’s residence in Pasadena, Calif. where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked. Following each of her only two meetings with Mr. Bauer, [the accuser] spent the night and left without incident, continuing to message Mr. Bauer with friendly and flirtatious banter. In the days following their second and final encounter, [the accuser] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [the accuser] was neither angry nor accusatory.'”
The woman stated she consented to have sex with Bauer, but she did not consent for Bauer to beat her unconscious and sexually assault her. There is a difference, and if you do not think so, you are a piece of shit. A woman or person can revoke their consent at any time, and I highly recommend reading this Twitter Thread:
Now, let me be clear: As a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I don’t condone any violence against women regardless of the accused person, who also happens to be a baseball player on my favorite team. However, I also understand I am a hyper-masculine, straight male, and I will never understand what women in our society go through daily in a patriarchal white supremacist society. I know what I can do is speak up against domestic violence and sexual assault and hold other men accountable for their actions.
Additionally, I want to make this clear too:
Fuck Trevor Bauer! As a Dodgers fan, I stand with other Dodgers fans, bloggers, podcasters, and writers that Trevor Bauer needs to be released now! MLB and the Dodgers have not acted, and it has been three days since the reports came out, disappointing but not surprising. What do we expect from a capitalist business dominated by white men?
The accusations of domestic violence and sexual assault against Trevor Bauer are also not surprising. As noted in the past, Bauer’s history of tweeting his opinions has been very problematic and well documented (Dude is a MAGA and climate change denier). However, it’s his harassment of women on Twitter that has been the most troubling.
In January 2019, Bauer’s Twitter followers harassed Texas State college student Nikki Giles. All the young woman did was mentioned Bauer in a tweet, “My new least favorite person in all sports,” so Bauer’s followers doxed the women and made death threats. According to USA Today, Giles stated:
“It has definitely ruined my last three days,” Giles told USA TODAY Sports. “I have cried daily and called my family crying because the first 12-24 hours or so I was getting a lot of hate.”
No one could have predicted the accusations of horrific acts of violence against women by Trevor Bauer, but the warning flags were there. There’s a reason misogynistic, rape-apologists Barstool Sportswriters and their shitty readers and followers love Trevor Bauer. The other problem is the mainstream sports media such as ESPN, the New York Post, and Sports Illustrated paint this picture of Trevor Bauer as intelligent, a Rebel, and every woman’s sexual desire.
Now, the Dodgers cannot claim ignorance. Dodgers President Stan Kasten and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman supported Trevor Bauer when they signed him to a 3-year, 102 million dollar contract this past offseason. Friedman was quoted in the LA Times as stating:
“In our conversations, he’s alluded to past mistakes he’s made, and you know what?” Friedman said. “We’re all going to make mistakes, and what’s important for me is how we internalize it, what our thoughts are going forward. It was important to have that conversation, and we came away from it feeling good about it.”
The Dodgers like to pride themselves as being one of the most intelligent, most innovated organizations in pro sports, but I bet they feel fucking stupid now. The Dodgers also like to pride themselves in their history of breaking the color barrier with Jackie Robinson in 1947, bringing the local Los Angeles Mexican community joy with Fernandomania, and their Manager Dave Roberts being of Japanese and African American descent.
However, The Dodgers also do not like to discuss that Dodger stadium displaced three Mexican-indigenous communities, La Loma, Bishop, and Palo Verde, to build Dodger stadium. The Dodgers also do not like to talk about management and Tommy Lasorda’s treatment of former Dodgers Centerfielder Glenn Burke, the first openly LGBTQ player in MLB history. Burke’s Dodgers teammates loved him, but Tommy Lasorda and Dodgers management wanted Burke to hide his sexuality. I highly suggest reading Andrew Maraniss’s book, Singled Out the True Story of Glenn Burke. You can also check out my podcast interview with him here.
The Dodgers were quick to back out of their trade accusation of Adonis Chapmen hours after his arrest for domestic violence in 2015. So, what is their excuse this time?
Is it because Trevor Bauer is White? Is it because they do not want to admit that their prized offseason free agent accusation was a colossal mistake?
I guess we will find out soon, and honestly, I’m expecting to be disappointed.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, abuse or intimate partner violence, there are resources available such as RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Visit their website or call (800) 656-HOPE.
Thanks.
Well done.
Thank you.
It’s been a week on this front…after several years…
Wrote a whole thing then deleted (cheaper than therapy).
Bottom line: Men in consensual relationships DO NOT drug others with quaaludes or fracture their skulls. And if this occurs they are crossing lines in other areas of their life…often with the
cover-up/minimization/normalization/blessing of others or a system/institution/organization.
It takes a village to raise a child but it also takes a village to do a lot of evil shit. And often it is an open secret.
So much for my attempt to be brief.
cc: Bill Cosby, Physicia Rashad, Trevor Bauer, Andrew Friedman, Dodgers, Urban Meyer, U of FL, OSU, Jaguars…and just really too many others to list.