Along with remind us that Bud Selig had little to say regarding Brett Myers’ sparring session on a Boston sidewalk, the Sporting News’ Richard Justice muses, “San Diego’s Brian Giles certainly isn’t the first professional athlete to be accused of slapping a woman. What makes his case unique is that the alleged incident in 2006 was captured on video. And it’s chilling.”
The incident with a former girlfriend, Cheri Olvera, was settled in 2006 when Giles was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence. He completed anger-management counseling, and the charges were dropped.
But the incident is back in the news, as the video was recently released when Olvera filed suit about financial support she said was promised her.
It’s impossible to watch the video without getting chills. Thanks to a security camera, we see Giles walk into a bar and approach Olvera. In a stunning few seconds, he appears to pull her hair and slap or shove her.
Giles should thank his lucky stars he’s not an NFL player. He would have had a Roger Goodell-imposed suspension coming and could have counted on his union to support that suspension.
Players are suspended for testing positive for steroids. Players are suspended for testing positive for recreational drugs. Players can be suspended for corking a bat, scuffing a ball or refusing a manager’s orders.
So why not suspend a player for an act everyone agrees is despicable?
I’d like to imagine the Padres will have a hard time finding a taker for Giles, and surveillance video of his manhandling a pregnant girlfriend won’t help matters. On the other hand, such incidents were mere speed bumps in the careers of Myers, Wil Cordero or Bobby Cox