Scott Boras is well known for his over-the-top public displays of confidence in his clients. This time, he’s gone too far via the Houston Astros.
Scott Boras doesn’t think the Houston Astros players need to apologize for the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the world of baseball.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Known for guaranteeing his clients huge free-agent contracts and his yearly campaign speeches at Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, Boras is no stranger to controversy. In this article by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Boras explains his argument that the players shouldn’t need to apologize.
Fair warning, if a lawyer used this in court, he or she would probably be disbarred on the spot…
Boras claims that the organization is truly at fault for the sign-stealing scandal. Never mind that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report stated that the scheme was player-driven. Forget about the fact that on a common-sense basis, each player knew what they were doing was wrong. He claims that the players were simply “doing what my organization is telling me to do.”
In the article, Rosenthal states “A man driving 55 mph in a 35-mph zone only believes he is speeding if the limit is clearly posted. Likewise, Boras said Astros’ players who committed infractions only should apologize if they were properly informed of their boundaries.”
Well here’s a quick legal tip for Scott Boras. If you find yourself being pulled over for driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, claiming “Oh I thought the speed limit was higher” will not get you out of a ticket.
Obviously, everyone knows that Boras has a penchant for this kind of ridiculous posturing in support of his clients. But it’s hard to believe that anyone advised him that this statement was a more productive alternative to staying quiet on the matter.
And at the end of the day, the players knew what they were doing was wrong. No “failure of the organization to explain the rules” or “direction of general manager Jeff Luhnow or Manager A.J. Hinch” excuses that. And no matter how many times Boras says “Why would a player think that the organization is setting up a system that is violating MLB rules?,” the fact remains that Manfred’s report explicitly states that the scheme was player-driven.
Further, if learning the rules of Major League Baseball is so difficult, explain the 12 seconds it took to find them online.
Boras is wrong. The players share as much blame as the organization. The only reason Manfred isn’t punishing the players is due to the fact they received immunity in exchange for testimony.
If this is true something needs to be done ???https://t.co/omraQpyEc5
— Baseball Report (@BasebaII_Report) January 22, 2020
No amount of agent posturing can fix the damage the Astros players have done to the game.
