Report: Dodgers, Gabe Kapler failed to report assault to police in 2015
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Gabe Kapler did not report an assault in February 2015 that was allegedly filmed by one of the team’s minor-league players, according to The Washington Post. Kapler, who was the director of player development at the time, reportedly received an email from a 17-year-old girl who said a Dodgers minor-league player filmed her getting assaulted by two women.
The girl had been partying with two Dodgers minor leaguers and two women. After drinking too much while in one of the players’ hotel rooms, she vomited on the bed. The two other women present began punching and kicking the 17-year-old as they threw her out of the room. Instead of helping her, that’s when the Dodgers player allegedly filmed the assault and posted it to Snapchat.
In an email to Kapler, the girl wrote, “The boys got me drunk and the girls beat me up. Your player … videotaped it all.”
Kapler also received an email from the girl’s grandmother. He responded by telling the woman he wanted to set up a dinner with the girl and the two players to “teach valuable lessons to all involved through this method of follow up.”
After being picked up by Arizona’s Department of Child Safety a week later, the girl told case workers about the assault. They called police, and she told officers that prior to the assault, one of the players had sexually assaulted her, according to the Post.
At one point, she said she began to feel sick and decided to lie down on the bed. While the two women and one of the players were in the bathroom, the other lay down next to her and slid his hand under her bra, and then down the front of her pants, she told police. It ended quickly, she said, when the others came out of the bathroom.
In a statement, Kapler — now manager of the Philadelphia Phillies — told the Post he acted appropriately according to Dodgers policies. He claimed he was unaware of any sexual assault allegations. An outside counsel for the Dodgers, David Schindler, said Kapler and the members of the organization were all unaware of the sexual assault allegation.
After speaking with police, the girl told them she did not want to press charges. The Department of Child Safety case workers — who were considered the girl’s legal guardians at that point — decided to pursues sexual abuse and assault charges.
Police were contacted by an attorney who represented the Dodgers player weeks later, according to the Post.
A few weeks later, according to the report, police got a call from attorney David Derickson, who said he represented a Dodgers player. At his direction, the lawyer explained, the player would not speak to police about the night in question. The Washington Post is not naming the player because he was never charged with a crime.
The team released the player in April 2015. In May, police decided to move on after the girl did not want to cooperate with the investigation.
The Dodgers and Kapler were also accused of failing to report a separate sexual assault accusation in October.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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