A minor league baseball player for a Pennsylvania team has been fired after a video was released showing him beating his then-girlfriend inside a Texas baseball stadium in 2016.
Outfielder Danry Vasquez, 24, was released from the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Barnstormers this week when management was made aware of the video, according to a team statement released Wednesday.
The assault happened in August 2016 inside a stairwell at Whataburger Stadium in Corpus Christi, Texas. Vasquez was playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks at the time.
In the video, released this week to comply with an open records request made by NBC affiliate KRIS-TV, Vasquez can be seen striking a woman in the head four times and pulling her hair — forcing her to slip down the stairs.
The woman, Vasquez's longtime girlfriend, was hit so hard her glasses were sent flying off her face several times.
Vasquez was later arrested and charged with assault of a family member, a misdemeanor, according to court records. He entered a pre-trial diversion program, which he completed successfully, his attorney Les Cassidy told NBC10.
Cassidy said Vasquez was remorseful for the beating because it was "shameful." The victim and Vasquez had dated since they were teens and came to the United States together when he was recruited by Major League Baseball.
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In the statement, Lancaster Barnstormers manager Ross Peeples said there was no choice but to release Vasquez. The Barnstormers are part of an independent league and not affiliated with any Major League teams.
“There is no choice but to sever the relationship,” Peeples said. “Neither I, nor the Barnstormers’ organization as a whole, can condone or associate with that behavior."
Vasquez is believed to have returned to his native Venezuela.
