Dodgers cancel Trevor Bauer bobblehead promotion, remove merch from store amid assault allegations
Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.
The Los Angeles Dodgers canceled a Trevor Bauer bobblehead promotion that was scheduled for Aug. 19, and have removed all Bauer merchandise from their online store as well as MLB's.
The Orange County Register got an explanation from a Dodgers spokesperson:
A Dodgers spokesman said the decision was made because the team “did not feel it was appropriate” to have the promotion or continue to sell the merchandise “while investigations continue by Major League Baseball and the Pasadena Police Department.”
MLB placed the starting pitcher on administrative leave last week while they and the Pasadena Police Department investigate serious assault allegations that have been made against him. Those allegations stem from two sexual encounters Bauer, 30, had with a woman earlier this year. The details of those allegations were revealed in the temporary ex parte restraining order she was granted last week.
The woman accuses Bauer of repeatedly punching her in the head and other parts of her body, choking her until she was unconscious, and raping her anally while she was unconscious. Several of her injuries required hospital visits, and she reportedly provided multiple photos to corroborate her account.
Bauer not expected back until after All-Star break
Bauer's administrative leave technically expires in seven days, but it's unlikely he'll be back then. MLB can continually extend that leave as long as the MLB Players Association agrees, and Bauer said through his representatives that "at this time" he doesn't plan to push for a return in order to minimize the distraction for his teammates. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said that he doesn't expect Bauer back before the All-Star break.
There's no indication how long either investigations will take. ESPN's Buster Olney reported that MLB intends to speak with Bauer and his accuser, and will look into other possible incidents.
A Pasadena police officer recently told USA Today that the department's criminal investigation has widened thanks to new leads.
“We were looking into some things and we thought we were nearing the end,’’ Lt. Carolyn Gordon, who is overseeing the investigation, told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. "We are not close to the end.
"This investigation is bigger than we thought. So we have to look a few more places. We want to try to uncover as much stuff as we can."
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