Dodgers’ Bradley Won’t Be Disciplined
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles outfielder Milton Bradley won’t be disciplined by the Dodgers for a clubhouse confrontation with a reporter he called an “Uncle Tom.” Club spokesman Gary Miereanu said Friday the matter was closed. A day earlier, Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner’s office, said Major League Baseball decided not to investigate the matter.
“My initial reaction is that this does not rise to the level of disciplining Milton,” Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said late Thursday in St. Louis. “Having said that, I don’t condone him or anybody being disrespectful to somebody else by name-calling of any kind.”
Several fans booed Bradley in each of his four plate appearances on Tuesday, when the Cardinals beat the Dodgers 8-3 in the opener of their best-of-five NL playoff series. That was Bradley’s first game following a five-game suspension assessed for a bottle-throwing tantrum during a win over Colorado in Los Angeles.
Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times asked Bradley on Wednesday about his treatment by St. Louis fans. Bill Dwyre, the Times’ sports editor, said several reporters in the Dodgers’ clubhouse said Bradley didn’t like Reid’s question. According to eyewitnesses and Reid’s tape, Bradley said, “You’re an Uncle Tom. You’re a sellout.”
According to Dwyre, Reid, who is black, took offense and began yelling at Bradley, who also is black.
Bradley homered and doubled in the Dodgers’ 8-3 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday night in St. Louis. He didn’t make himself available to reporters before or after the game.
“Milton and I met in the clubhouse before the game,” Reid said in a statement. “He apologized for the slur he directed at me, and we resolved to treat each other with respect and professionalism going forward. The matter is closed as far as I’m concerned.”
Bradley apologized last week for throwing the bottle and pledged to seek help for his anger problems. He was suspended for four games after tossing a bag of balls onto the field following an ejection on June 1.
Bradley hit .267 with 19 homers and 67 RBIs during the regular season.