PHILADELPHIA — An organization that aims to raise awareness about domestic violence and help its victims defended its partnership with the Phillies on a domestic violence awareness night on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.
This season the Phillies had two players on their roster, Odúbel Herrera and Jeurys Familia, who were arrested on domestic violence charges in the past. Both players were released earlier this season for their lack of production on the field.
“Given the player history, I would be more concerned if the Phillies were backing away from our partnership rather than deepening it,” a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Domestic violence happens in every community and every profession. The high-profile nature of sports creates an opportunity for meaningful discourse around a complicated topic when and after an incident occurs.
“Our partnership with the Phillies dates to 2006. Our decision to continue with this partnership is very deliberate. A significant challenge in preventing domestic violence is the stigmatization around it — people simply just don’t talk about it, and many don’t really understand the complex dynamics of abuse. The worst thing we can do is ignore it. As a society we need to get comfortable talking about domestic violence and acknowledging that it happens in every community. On Friday night the Phillies will be giving us a platform to amplify this message.”
Asked how they would respond to those who say a public show of support for domestic violence awareness night is in conflict with the organizational decisions to sign Herrera and Familia, a Phillies spokesperson said:
“Over the past 15 years, we have worked in partnership with PCADV to help bring awareness for those seeking support in unhealthy relationships. For the past six years, we have planned for this night during the Pirates series. The same holds true for this year.”
The Phillies will take batting practice Friday wearing purple shirts to show domestic violence awareness. The team will air a PSA during the game and recognize advocates during the pregame ceremony, and share domestic violence resources on their social media channels during the game.
The game will be centered around PCADV’s campaign — #Every1KnowsSome1 — which aims to bring awareness to how common domestic violence is. According to the Phillies’ press release, over the course of their lifetimes, one in four women and one in seven men in Pennsylvania will be victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner.
Herrera was signed on March 15 and Familia a day later. A few weeks later, the Phillies began planning their domestic violence awareness night.
In May of 2019, Herrera attempted to “cause bodily injury” to his 20-year-old girlfriend at the time, leaving “hand print markings” on her neck and “small scratches” on her arms, according to a police report. His girlfriend didn’t press charges, but Herrera was suspended by MLB for 85 games of the 2019 season for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. He did not play during the 2020 season, played 124 games with the Phillies in 2021 and re-signed with them on March 16. Herrera batted .202/.253/.270 over his last 30 games with the Phillies and was designated for assignment on Aug. 2.
In 2016, Familia faced a misdemeanor domestic violence charge for an incident between him and his wife, Bianca Rivas. The charge was dropped but Familia was suspended by MLB for 15 games at the beginning of the 2017 season. He was signed as a free agent on March 15 and posted a 6.09 ERA in 34 innings before being designated for assignment on Aug. 2.
