"It was really painful" - Omar Vizquel looks back at emotional journey following settlement of s*xual harassment lawsuit involving batboy

Omar Vizquel has broken his silence after being accused of sexual harassment in 2021. The lawsuit stemmed from 2019 when Vizquel was managing the Chicago White Sox’s Class AA team in Birmingham, Alabama.

The wording of the lawsuit included "sexually aggressive behavior" and accused Vizquel of demanding the batboy, who was reportedly autistic and 22 at the time, wash his back. The former first-base coach was suspended with pay and dismissed after the season ended.

Vizquel's accuser also filed a discrimination suit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a lawsuit against the White Sox. The case against Chicago was dropped, and Vizquel reached a confidential settlement with his accuser in June 2022.

Speaking to USA Today, Omar Vizquel provided insight on his side of the story.

"I think it is time now to talk because everybody heard the version that came out," Vizquel said. "Nobody had really listened to my side of the story or what really happened. It was hard to hear your name bouncing around and reading stuff that wasn’t accurate. It was really painful. At the end of the day, I knew I wasn’t that kind of guy they were talking about in there.

"I’m glad I’m able to talk now, because a lot of things people were saying weren’t accurate. My conscience is clean and clear that I'm not the kind of person that they are saying about Omar. I can look at everybody in the eye and say, 'Man, do you really think that is accurate?' Come on now."

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Omar Vizquel: From a dark place to a clean conscience

Omar Vizquel said he felt he had not been portrayed fairly by the press when the accusations were levied. He kept silent on the advice of his lawyers but found himself slipping into a dark place.

"I wish I could have spoken earlier, but my lawyer told me, 'Do not say anything about it. Let the legal process play out. Your time to talk is going to come.' You see what happened. Justice spoke," Vizquel said. "There wasn’t something they could charge against me. There was nothing there. They took a look at everything. It was a huge misunderstanding."

Vizquel described his psychological state and how the accusations affected him:

"There was a point where I spent three days in a room with only a glass of water. The only time I’d leave is to go to the bathroom 10 times a day. I didn’t even know what time it was. It would be like 3 o’clock in the morning, and I thought it was in the afternoon. It was really bad.

"I was living by myself. My door was closed. And I thought people were chasing me in my own house. I tell you what, there were a lot of bad thoughts going through my head."

Due to the settlement, Vizquel can't say too much about the incident or the lawsuit, but he feels the media has misrepresented him:

"I can tell you this: the Omar Vizquel that was portrayed in the press is not the Omar Vizquel that believes in integrity and values. Those are the facts. ... My conscience is clean. When I lay down my head in bed, I can lay down and sleep in peace. I know I’m not that type of person I was being portrayed."

It will be interesting to see if Omar Vizquel can make a return to the MLB world in 2024.