On the night of October 31, 2016 Bianca Rivas made several 911 phone calls fearing her husband Mets closer Jeurys Familia. Rivas told 911 operators, “my husband had a little bit of alcohol and he’s going crazy.”
The audio was obtained by NJ Advance Media and has the dispatcher asking, “ your husband is drinking and you’re in a dispute with him?”
Bianca replies, “Yeah, he’s drunk.”
The police did arrive at Familia’s apartment and in reports stated that the victim had bodily injuries such as a, “scratch to the chest and a bruise to the right cheek.”
Rivas was issued an order of protection against her husband but on November 10, 2016 the couple arrived to court together, where Judge John DeSheplo lifted the order.
The charge against Familia is the equivalent to a misdemeanor and carries a maximum of six month in prison, $1,000 fine, and two years of probation if convicted. He is due back in court on Dec. 15.
Regardless of what the courts decide the legal punishment for Familia should be if convicted, Major League Baseball will also investigate the issue. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred stated last week that the league is investigating the matter.
Major League Baseball has done a great job handling domestic violence issues. They have conducted non-bias investigations of their own and have handed down punishments even when the courts have been unable to convict. It should be expected that Rob Manfred will be taking this issue seriously and will not hold back on Familia’s punishment. After listening to the audio and reviewing the police report, it is clear that something of a domestic violence nature did occur. If you look over last year’s suspensions that the MLB handed down to Jose Reyes, Hector Olivera and Aroldis Chapman the suspension dwelling over Familia’s head could be between 30- 82 games.
The New York Mets need to prepare for the worst this offseason. We will get a better view of the Mets preparation during the upcoming winter meetings. Right now, no one will jump to any assumptions on the record but when a guy like Familia who has contributed to a franchise record of 51-saves last year, you have to expect some kind of alternative to be looked at.