The Yankees turned some fans’ stomaches queasy when they traded for closer Aroldis Chapman.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner might have done it again Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the Owners Meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla., Steinbrenner said at some point “we forget” about the allegation that Chapman choked and shoved his girlfriend and that police considered criminal domestic violence charges against him.
Chapman ultimately wasn’t charged after the girlfriend stopped cooperating with the investigation, police said. Major League Baseball suspended him for 30 games, however.
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“Quite frankly, it was manageable the minute he got here last year,” Steinbrenner said, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “He was great. Look, he admitted he messed up. He paid the penalty. Sooner or later, we forget, right? That’s the way we’re supposed to be in life. He did everything right, and said everything right, when he was with us.”
Later, Steinbrenner took it a step further.
“They love him,” Steinbrenner said, according to the report. “There are so few baseball players that I feel can really get fans to buy a ticket and bring their kids to their game, and he’s one of them.”
The Yankees re-signed Chapman to a five-year, $86 million deal in December. They traded him in July to the Cubs, whom he helped win their first World Series in 108 years.
While Steinbrenner said Chapman admitted to wrongdoing, it was only a partial apology.
The lefty admitted that he fired his shotgun at a wall in his home during the incident and apologized for that. But he said he never hurt his girlfriend.
“I want to take this opportunity — I want this to be clear — I’m apologizing because of the use of the gun,” Chapman said at the time. “It was bad judgment on my part. But I also want to say that I never hurt my girlfriend. I want this to be very clear. I’m taking this punishment because of my bad judgment. (It’s) something that I definitely want to put behind me and move on.”
Will Yankees be contenders in 2017? Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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