Major League Baseball placed Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell on leave Friday, hours after his ex-wife wrote in a blog post that her former spouse physically and emotionally abused her.
Melisa Reidy, 24, detailed the allegations in a blog post that she linked to her Instagram page early Friday morning, outlining allegations of abuse that she described as both "physical (mistreatment)" and emotional distress. Thomas Field, the attorney who originally represented Reidy in their divorce proceedings, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that the Instagram account belongs to her.
Reidy's blog post, which does not name Russell, comes more than a year after MLB first opened an investigation into allegations of abuse against the Cubs shortstop. Reidy did not cooperate with MLB investigators last summer after the initial claims, which were made by a friend in a comment on Instagram, and Russell was never punished.
Field, who represented Reidy until her divorce case with Russell was moved to Florida, said that he contacted her Friday morning and was informed that she wrote the Instagram post that described physical abuse during their marriage. He believes MLB will move swiftly once again to gain her cooperation.
"She thought it was time to come out and say these things," Field, head of the Family Law Practice Group for Beerman LLP in Chicago, told USA TODAY Sports. "I texted with her this morning. It is her Instagram. She did feel like she didn’t have anything else to add at this time. I don’t know if that’s a permanent position or not."
The league said in a statement Friday that it "takes all allegations of Domestic Violence seriously."
"When the allegations against Addison Russell became public on June 7, 2017, the Commissioner’s Office’s Department of Investigations immediately commenced an investigation," MLB said in the statement. "Melisa Russell declined to participate in the investigation at that time. Our investigation of this matter has remained open and we have continued our efforts to gather information.
"With the new details revealed in today’s blog post by Ms. Russell, Mr. Russell has been placed on Administrative Leave in accordance with the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. We are hopeful that this new information will allow us to complete the investigation as promptly as possible."
The Cubs, meanwhile, said in a statement that they support MLB's decision to place Russell on leave and "will continue to cooperate with the league's investigation so the appropriate action can be taken."
General manager Theo Epstein reiterated the club's support in a news conference Friday afternoon while calling the allegations "disturbing."
Field told USA TODAY Sports that Reidy wasn't comfortable meeting with MLB investigators last summer "for a variety of reasons" but declined to specify, citing attorney-client privilege.
"They were on top of her trying to meet at the time, but she declined," Field said early Friday afternoon.
"I don’t know if MLB has reached out yet, but if they haven’t, I expect they will in the next day or two. They were pretty tenacious the first time around, and were disappointed. They had the allegations from a post from her friend, but not hers directly.
"This is different. It’s a post, not her words out loud in an interview, but it is a post. They are going to have to verify those are her words to pursue further investigation of it."
The claims of abuse first surfaced on social media last summer, after Reidy indicated in a since-deleted Instagram post that Russell had cheated on her. Her friend, Carlie Reed, wrote in a comment on that post that Reidy had been a victim of abuse. "Melisa didn't want that out but I'll say it. He hit her. In front of Aiden and Mila," Reed commented.
(Aiden is the couple's only child, and Mila is Russell's daughter from a previous relationship.)
According to Reidy's blog post, which is titled "you no longer have a secret, you have a story," the first incident of abuse occurred "a few months" after she was married — which, according to online court records in Florida, was Jan. 9, 2016. She said it "tore me apart" and "I saw a darkness in him I've never seen or experienced in him or anyone else."
"The first time I was physically mistreated by my spouse, I was in shock. I couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened," the blog post reads. "Why did he get so angry? What did I do for him to want to put his hands on me?"
The post goes on to detail emotional and verbal abuse ranging from belittlement to intimidation and manipulation, escalating to the point that "I felt like I was nothing," she writes.
In addition to cheating on her, Reidy claims that her former spouse generally came to ignore her presence, which led to depression. She writes that she eventually chose to fly home to Florida and file for divorce, but the effects of the abuse lingered.
"It took months for night terrors to stop, to not have panic attacks 3 times a week, to look in the mirror and not feel worthless," she writes.
According to online records, Reidy and Russell's divorce was finalized Aug. 30, more than 15 months after the initial petition was filed.
Attorney Gordon Welch, who represented Reidy in the divorce proceedings after they were transferred to Florida, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russell denied the initial allegations of abuse last summer, saying in a statement that "any allegation I have abused my wife is false and hurtful." He and his agent did not immediately reply to requests for comment Friday.
When Field was asked if he thought Russell may be suspended by MLBajor League Baseball while it conducts an investigation, he said: “This could cause some problems.’’
Reidy wrote on Instagram that she ultimately decided to come forward with details of the abuse because "I've been seeing a lot more and more of these situations around me.
"I've seen the woman I was a year ago in women around me in very similar or sadly even worse situations," she wrote on her Instagram story. "So with that being said, it's been on my heart for a while now that I should share my story, a chapter in my life that has impacted me more than anything, but most importantly how I overcame it. I hope my testimony can touch the hearts that are needing some encouragement and strength."
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on Twitter @Tom_Schad and Nightengale @BNightengale.
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