Steven Wright on domestic violence arrest: 'I never touched' my wife
Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright is attending spring training despite Major League Baseball's ongoing investigation into his offseason arrest on domestic violence charges.
Wright was charged with domestic assault and preventing a 911 call following an incident with his wife, Shannon, in December. The charges were retired by a Tennessee court on Dec. 21, and will be dismissed in December provided there are no other offenses committed before then.
Wright spoke publicly about the charges for the first time Wednesday. Though the league's investigation prevented him from getting into specifics - he said he's yet to talk with investigators - the 33-year-old denied assaulting his wife.
"I never touched her. And that's probably the hardest thing for me: to sit there and see people talk about being a wife beater all that stuff when I didn't even make physical contact," he said, according to MassLive's Christopher Smith. "But that's really all I'm allowed to say right now because I want to honor MLB and their investigation."
Wright added that he and his wife have been attending counseling.
While the court retired the criminal charges against him, he still faces a possible suspension from commissioner Rob Manfred if MLB finds he violated the league's joint domestic violence policy. There's no timetable for the internal investigation's completion.
Wright, an All-Star in 2016, only pitched in five games last season due to knee surgery, and his status for Opening Day remains unknown.
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