Former Dodgers star Yasiel Puig hasn’t logged a major league at-bat in over a year, a fact Puig believes can be attributed to his pending sexual assault lawsuit stemming from an incident in Los Angeles. Puig’s accuser claims he assaulted her in a Staples Center bathroom after a Lakers game in October of 2018.
However, in a statement released through his legal team Tuesday, Puig insists he was “propositioned” by his accuser despite her claiming she did not know or have any prior contact with Puig before his alleged assault. The Cuban-born outfielder maintains their encounter at Staples Center was “consensual” and the two remained in touch afterward.
“The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me. Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out,” Puig shared in a lengthy Twitter post. “We messaged each other afterward and planned to get together again, but we never did. She’s now suing me based on completely made-up allegations.”
One of Puig’s lawyers, Alan Jackson, contends that Puig continued to receive “affectionate and endearing messages” from his accuser nearly a month after their bathroom encounter at Staples Center, which the plaintiff has since characterized as a “violent assault.” Jackson also dismissed the allegations against Puig as an attempt to “coerce money from a high-profile athlete.”
“It is not lost on anyone that the plaintiff waited two years to actually file a lawsuit. By her delay she has effectively ensured that witnesses cannot be located, testimony is lost and security video and other evidence is no longer available,” argued Jackson. “In other words, this lawsuit appears to have been calculated to ensure Mr. Puig would have the least amount of evidence possible to defend himself against these fabricated allegations.”
“But what this person did not count on is that Puig saved his Instagram messages and texts from her,” noted Puig’s other lawyer, Caleb Mason. “The evidence completely exonerates Mr. Puig.”
“I suffered through insurmountable odds and even survived human trafficking to chase my dream of playing baseball. Now with a mere unsupported accusation, the sports world has turned against me without ever hearing my side,” said Puig, maintaining his innocence while pleading for another big-league opportunity. “I followed my counsel’s initial advice to stay quiet and allow the system to move forward. But because of delays out of my control, for too long no one has been able to hear my side of the story, leaving me no way to fight back against these false allegations.”
A fan favorite throughout his time in Los Angeles, Puig owns a .277/.348/.475 career batting line with 132 homers, 415 RBI and 79 steals over 861 MLB appearances for the Dodgers, Indians and Reds. Puig had planned to sign with the Atlanta Braves last summer, but the deal fell through after he tested positive for COVID. The 30-year-old last played professionally with Toros del Este in the Dominican Republic this past winter.
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