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Ex-MLB star Omar Vizquel accused of sexually harassing autistic batboy

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Former MLB great Omar Vizquel has been accused of sexually harassing a team batboy who is autistic, NBC News reported.

The plaintiff, who has not been identified alleged that during his time as a batboy for the Class-A Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team, Vizquel, who was the manager of the team at the time, ordered the young man to shower with him during an August 2019 game, according to a complaint filed in Alabama on Tuesday. A naked Vizquel, 54, handed the plaintiff a bar of soap and ordered him to wash his back. The plaintiff said that Vizquel then proudly showed him his fully erect penis, according to the complaint.

The plaintiff, now 25, said that he was “humiliated, intimidated and frightened” of what could happen if he disobeyed Vizquel’s orders, according to NBC News. The plaintiff added that he reported the incident to two other Barons employees, but got laughed off. Those two employees are now defendants in the case, NBC News reported. 

The man claims Vizquel “targeted” him for sexual harassment because of his disability. He also considered Vizquel a friend and told him he had autism during the 2019 season, according to the filing. In June 2019, the man claims Vizquel told him he was homosexual, telling him in the dugout, “I just want you to know that I’m gay” and “I like guys,” the lawsuit reads.

The man let Vizquel know he wasn’t interested, but the Barons manager proceeded to pay “far more attention” to the batboy than his four other counterparts, according to the suit. Vizquel, 54, then emerged naked from a shower following a game on Aug. 22, 2019, and handed the man a bar of soap before telling him to “Wash my damn back!” The man was “humiliated, intimidated and frightened” by what could happen if he disobeyed, so he complied with Vizquel’s request, the suit alleges.

Vizquel, a Hall of Fame candidate who played 24 seasons for six clubs, was accused of domestic abuse by his wife last year. Blanca Vizquel said the 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop physically abused her several times over the past decade until she left him last August and filed for divorce. Vizquel was arrested in 2016 after his wife accused him of domestic violence, but he wasn’t charged.

An attorney for Vizquel said he denied the allegations, but an investigation by MLB remains open, ESPN reported. No criminal charges have been filed against Vizquel in connection to the batboy’s claims.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: VNEXPLORER.NET

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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