UPDATED 10/23/19, 2:15 p.m. ET: Astros GM Jeff Luhnow finally addressed the controversy surrounding the team's assistant GM, Brandon Taubman, saying “we may never know” the intent of his tirade.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Lunhow appeared on the team's flagship radio station on Wednesday, and explained that Taubman "regrets" what happened.
“What we really don’t know is the intent behind the inappropriate comments he made," he said. "We may never know that because the person who said them and the people who heard them, at least up to this point, have different perspectives.”
Luhnow went on to apologize for what happened. "We want anybody who interacts with our organization to feel comfortable and to feel respected,” he added. “Clearly that was not the case in the celebration after the Yankees victory. We can do better and we will do better …. I do apologize. This situation should have never happened.”
See original story below.
This Houston Astros' controversy is only getting worse.
According to a recent report by NPR's David Folkenflik, the team's assistant general manager, Brandon Taubman, had previously complained about one of the female reporters he allegedly targeted during a locker room outburst. Sources claim the assistant GM had criticized the reporter last year when she tweeted out the number to domestic violence hotlines when pitcher Roberto Osuna appeared in Astros games. The reporter was also wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet during Taubman's tirade Saturday, which occurred after Houston clinched the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
According to Sports Illustrated, Taubman began yelling at three female reporters inside the clubhouse following Saturday's victory. At one point, he began shouting about Osuna, who was hit with a 75-game suspension last year for violating MLB's domestic violence policy. The Blue Jays traded Osuna to the Astros months after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting Alejandra Román Cota, who is also the mother of his child. The charges against Osuna were eventually dropped in exchange for a one-year peace bond.
"Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so fucking glad we got Osuna," Taubman reportedly yelled at the three female reporters.
Per NPR:
According to three eyewitnesses interviewed by NPR, Taubman appeared to be responding to the presence of a female reporter who was wearing a purple rubber bracelet to heighten awareness about domestic violence.
Shortly after the SI report was published, the MLB released a statement suggesting Taubman's actions had been mischaracterized. The league, however, reassured the public they would investigate the matter.
Taubman has since apologized for using "inappropriate language," and claimed his exuberant support for Osuna was "misinterpreted as a demonstration of a regressive attitude about an important social issue."
