When Kansas City Royals star Aroldis Chapman landed in hot water over domestic violence

In March 2016, Kansas City Royals star Aroldis Chapman was suspended by MLB over a domestic violence incident. Back then, he was playing with the New York Yankees.

In October 2015, Chapman was involved in a domestic violence incident at his home in Florida. However, the news came to light two months later in December.

It was reported that he allegedly choked his girlfriend and fired eight gunshots in his garage. The police decided not to press charges because the reports were inconsistent and there wasn't enough evidence.

However, the incident led to an investigation by MLB, and Chapman was subsequently suspended for 30 games under MLB's domestic violence policy.

After Chapman was penalized by MLB, the relief pitcher released a prepared statement saying:

"Today, I accepted a 30 game suspension from Major League Baseball resulting from my actions on October 30, 2015. I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry.

"The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distractions that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates and most importantly, my family."

Chapman's suspension marked one of the first high-profile cases under the newly implemented policy, which was developed in collaboration with the MLB Players Association.

The policy aims to address instances of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse involving MLB players. It includes provisions for investigations, disciplinary actions and counseling for affected individuals.

The 30-game suspension meant that Chapman had to miss the beginning of the 2016 season.

New York Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman to Chicago Cubs

Aroldis Chapman (54) of the New York Yankees celebrates after the final out defeating the Minnesota Twins 5-1 in game three of the American League Division Series to advance to the American League Championship Series at Target Field on October 07, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Aroldis Chapman was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Yankees on Dec. 28, 2015, following allegations of domestic violence against him.

After serving a 30-game suspension imposed by MLB, he debuted for the Yankees on May 9, 2016. However, the Yankees traded him to the Chicago Cubs on July 25, 2016.

On Dec. 15, 2016, Chapman signed a lucrative five-year, $86 million contract to rejoin the Yankees, where he played until the previous season.

Currently, Aroldis Chapman is under a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.