Animal Cruelty & Organized Crime Dimensions Stressed
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy today urged Major League Baseball (MLB) to investigate LA Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz for illegal cockfighting activity in Puerto Rico and to take speedy disciplinary action if the activity is proven true.
Diaz has been repeatedly linked recently, through social media posts, promotional materials, and news coverage, to illegal cockfighting events and enterprises in Puerto Rico. The reporting includes photographs of Díaz in cockfighting arenas, promotional advertisements for cockfighting tournaments featuring Díaz as an honored participant, and published statements from Díaz openly discussing his involvement in cockfighting activities.
The president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy Wayne Pacelle, in a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Jr., urged the following:
- Initiate a formal investigation into Edwin Díaz’s involvement in cockfighting activities, including review of publicly available videos, photographs, advertisements, and media reports;
- Determine whether Díaz has violated MLB policies governing conduct detrimental to baseball;
- Establish an explicit league policy recognizing participation in animal fighting ventures as prohibited conduct subject to disciplinary action;
- Impose appropriate disciplinary measures.
“Mr. Diaz is knowingly breaking the law and participating in crimes of violence and illegal gambling,” stressed Pacelle. “MLB would not look away from someone involved in dogfighting, racketeering, and illegal gambling facilitated by organized crime associations. His involvement with illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico involves crimes of the same magnitude.”
In his letter to Manfred, Pacelle stated: “Major League Baseball has long recognized that off-field conduct matters and that players may be disciplined for actions that undermine public confidence in the sport or reflect poorly on the league. MLB has suspended players for domestic violence, assault, illegal gambling activity, substance abuse violations, and other conduct deemed detrimental to baseball and inconsistent with league values. Indeed, MLB has repeatedly emphasized that professional athletes serve as public representatives of the game and that conduct involving violence and criminality warrants league intervention even outside the field of play. Participation in organized animal fighting — a form of felony cruelty closely tied to illegal gambling and plainly raises the same integrity concerns.”
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy have deep roots in leading campaigns against animal fighting and advocating for more robust public policy remedies: crafting legislation for Congress that outlawed all forms of animal fighting in the Commonwealth eight years ago, conducting investigations into illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico, and actively participating in all the federal challenges brought by cockfighting interests there. The legal challenges filed by cockfighting interests in Puerto Rico were resolved in ways that make it plain that cockfighting is illegal and is a felony level offense.