Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been suspended by Major League Baseball for two seasons over sexual assault allegations lodged against him last year.
Bauer was handed a 324-game suspension to start immediately. The punishment is the longest term ever meted out under the league’s six-year-old domestic violence policy, according to the New York Post.
The league said that Bauer will not be eligible to return until the 2024 season. The Dodgers pitcher has already missed 99 games after being placed on administrative leave, but the league has ruled that those games will not be credited to the 324-game suspension.
In 2021, Bauer was accused of engaging in rough sex with a woman, including choking her into unconsciousness. But he has always maintained that the sexual encounters with the woman were consensual, and he denies the charges of abuse.
Indeed, on Friday, after the league revealed its decision, Bauer again denied the charges in the “strongest possible terms.”
“In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy,” he tweeted. “I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
Despite the league’s actions, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has decided not to press charges against Bauer over the allegations.
Bauer’s legal team has filed a lawsuit against The Athletic and former MLB reporter Molly Knight for excluding pieces of information from stories of the sexual assault charges made against him last year.
He has also sued Deadspin on similar grounds and filed a defamation suit against his accuser.
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