Phillies Give Brett Myers Time Off After Wife Abuse Incident

by KYW's Mike DeNardo

The Phillies say that pitcher Brett Myers (right) will get some time off to deal with personal matters following his arrest last week on wife abuse charges (see related story).

The team's management and Myers have each issued a statement on the accommodation for Myers, reached as the Phillies organization was dealing with a public relations debacle related to the case.

Women’s advocacy groups are pleased the Phillies team broke its public silence on the matter.

Heather Keafer, a spokeswoman for the group Women Against Abuse, says the team's action now is commendable:

"That is the statement we were hoping they would make. I do hope that they will continue to think about whether or not Brett Myers is right for this city and right for the team."

Myers issued a statement disputing the facts as alleged, but apologizing for behavior he called "inappropriate."

The Phillies have agreed to Brett Myers' request for time off to concentrate on personal matters associated with his arrest in Boston last week.  He is expected to be off for two and one-half weeks, through the All Star Break, until July 14th.  The Phillies have made available appropriate, professional, employee assistance resources to help Brett and Kim Myers in these circumstances.

After last Friday, the Phillies did not comment further on the events surrounding the arrest of Brett Myers out of respect for the Myers' privacy and because there is a criminal prosecution pending.  Likewise, the Phillies did not summarily suspend Brett Myers immediately upon his arrest, prior to any judicial determination of guilt or complete evaluation of the entire matter. 

Such a decision, unfortunately, has been portrayed or interpreted as the Phillies indifference to problems of spousal abuse.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We abhor such violence and recognize that it is a very serious problem affecting a substantial number of victims, particularly women, across the country.

If we have been guilty of delay in expressing these sentiments, we are sorry.  We have been engaged in a difficult balancing of concerns for the rights of our employee, the presumption of innocence, the rights of his spouse, and the legitimate public concern about allegations of spousal abuse by a Phillies ballplayer. 

We believe that the present status, including a public apology by Brett Myers, time off from baseball, professional assistance for Brett and Kim Myers, and this statement achieves the appropriate balance for now.

                                                David Montgomery
                                                President
                                                The Phillies

Brett Myers Statement

On the day of my arrest, I consulted with my attorney by phone, who advised me to make no comments about this matter.  While I followed his advice at the time, I have felt the need to make some comments about this situation and I do so now.

First, while I dispute that the facts are as alleged, I recognize that my behavior was inappropriate and for that I apologize.

Second, I recognize that the incident created an embarrassing situation for many people, including my wife and family, my teammates, the Phillies organization, and fans, and I am very sorry for that.

Third, my wife and children are very important to me and I am willing to do whatever is necessary to address any problems that might harm our marriage.  I have asked the Phillies for some time off so that I can concentrate on this matter and make plans for whatever assistance is appropriate.

At this time, I do not intend to make any further public comments about this matter.

The Phillies took public heat in the days after Myers' arrest in Boston on wife abuse charges, allowing him to pitch and refusing to comment until the matter was resolved in court. 

But now, Women Against Abuse spokeswoman Heather Keafer says team president David Montgomery did the right thing:

"I'm glad that the Phillies stepped up and did what we requested and what thousands of fans requested they do -- to remove Brett Myers for a couple weeks."

But Keafer says even after July 14th, the team should consider whether Brett Myers is the type of player they want on their team.