On the day after the NHL suspended Kings defenseman Slava Voynov after his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence, the incoming commissioner of Major League Baseball said his league hopes to have a policy in place to cover such incidents next year.
Rob Manfred, who will succeed the retiring Bud Selig in January, said the league and its players’ union have had multiple conversations about the issue.
“We’re having ongoing discussions with them,” Manfred said before Game 2 of the World Series. “The tone has been very positive. I’m sure, like with most issues in recent years, we’ll come up with a good solution.”
Tony Clark, the executive director of the union, declined to commit on a timetable for the adoption of a policy.
“Our commitment is to making sure we have a policy that is representative of the concerns of both parties,” Clark said. “Is there a time frame? Is there a drop-dead date by which we want to have it in place? No.”
The issue of how professional sports leagues handle domestic violence issues exploded into a national debate when the NFL suspended Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games in July, then suspended him indefinitely in September, after the league said it reviewed additional video of the incident.
Rice has appealed the indefinite suspension. On Tuesday, the Baltimore Sun reported Rice had filed a grievance against the Ravens, claiming they wrongfully terminated his contract.
The NFL had no domestic violence policy in place at the time of the Rice incident.
Until MLB adopts a policy, the commissioner would have the right to impose discipline for domestic violence incidents under the “just cause” provision of the collective bargaining agreement. The union would have the right to file a grievance on behalf of the player.
“It’s a topic everyone is aware of as a result of outside events,” Manfred said.
He added: “We watch what goes on in other leagues, to understand all the distinct issues and try to pay attention to what’s going on around us.”
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
