Former Braves executive John Coppolella has his MLB lifetime ban lifted

In November 2017, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told then-Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella that Braves executives had violated baseball rules regarding contracts with international amateur candidates. He later handed down the sports version of the career death sentence.

Coppolella’s permanent ban from Major League Baseball was the result of baseball’s career hitter Pete Rose (gambling), eight Black Sox players of 1919 (game fixing/gambling), and former Cardinals executive Chris Correa (computer hacking). ) and former New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia (performance-enhancing substance use), but Mejia eventually returned in 2018.

But more than five years after being placed on MLB’s permanent list of ineligibles, Coppolella has taken necessary constructive action against Manfred and others in baseball, both professionally and personally. , proved to justify consideration of reinstatement.

of athletic It was first reported earlier this month that Manfred had made the decision to lift Coppolella’s lifetime ban and return the 44-year-old player.The league and Coppolella have separately confirmed the move.

athleticMLB reinstates former Braves GM John Coppolella from ‘lifetime’ suspension

“Given the fact that Mr. Coppolella has been on the ineligible list for more than five years, the repentance he has expressed, and the other steps he has taken in response to this matter, MLB said in a statement that Mr. You can check that has returned.

Reached out, Coppolella thanked and thanked MLB and four people, particularly Manfred, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem, Deputy General Counsel Moira Weinberg and Executive Vice President of Legal. He said he did not want to comment further on the process, except to do so. and Operations, Brian Seeley.

Coppolella has already Athletic: “I deeply regret and accept responsibility for my actions. I once again apologize to the Atlanta Braves franchise, Major League Baseball, its fans, and especially my family and friends. Thank you for this decision and take this opportunity. We strive every day to respect

Coporella, and Braves chief international scout and special assistant Gordon Blakely, have established rules governing international market business and the amount of capped bonus pool money clubs can spend on amateur international prospects by MLB. was found to have violated One example of a rule violation by the Braves was when the club reported a more favorable bonus to lower-tier prospects and diverted some of that money to higher-tier prospects who originally signed for lower sums.

Blakely was suspended for a year by Manfred. In addition to the punishments inflicted on Coppolella and Blakely, the Braves organization has also faced sanctions, including MLB voiding prospective player contracts for nine of his international players.

It remains to be seen if Coppolella will eventually return to baseball as an officer or in a different capacity, but he has a second chance. The same cannot be said for Rose. The former Cincinnati Reds player-manager’s reinstatement application was denied by Manfred in December 2015. Rose has filed another petition with the commissioner in 2020.

Second, the nature of the punishment Manfred gave to other individuals who violated baseball rules and collective bargaining policies differed. It happened in the same year as the championship run. A league investigation has revealed that the Astros used an illegal electronic sign-stealing scheme to cheat their way to the 2017 World Series title.

However, while MLB’s final report on the Astros scandal listed several team players and bench coach Alex Cora as co-conspirators in the scheme, it was manager AJ who was reprimanded by Manfred. It was just Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow. The club was not stripped of its 2017 World Series title, and players on its 2017 Astros team were given immunity for cooperating with the league investigation.

Hinch is now the Tigers manager.

Most recently, pitcher Manfred Trevor Bauer received a record 324-game suspension for violating the joint policy on domestic violence and sexual assault. Bauer appealed, and an independent arbitrator reduced the ban to 194 matches.

Still, on paid administrative leave and suspended, Bauer’s employer, the Los Angeles Dodgers, named Bauer as a placement after the arbitrator’s ruling. The Dodgers have cut ties despite still having his $22.5 million debt on his right hand.

Mejia was a three-time joint drug policy violator and received a life-long suspension as a result, but returned in 2018. Either way, the Mets have severed ties with his Mejia. He never returned to the majors. Correa, a former Cardinals executive, has been banned for life after pleading guilty to “unauthorized access to a protected computer” in the same hacking incident, and was also sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.

In a statement to ESPN in December 2017, Coppolella expressed remorse and apologized for his mistakes after receiving a lifetime suspension.

To read the final part of Coppolella’s 2017 statement, he said, “I am ashamed and humbled. I will try to live the rest of my life honorably so that this does not become my defining moment.” increase”.

A reversal of fortune may cause him to write a new baseball chapter.