Red Sox Broadcaster Steve Lyons Cleared Of Domestic Battery Charges
Boston Red Sox television broadcaster Steve Lyons is no longer facing domestic battery charges after a California judge threw out the case.
A pre- and post-game studio analyst on the New England Sports Network (NESN), Lyons has been noticeably absent from the broadcast for weeks while the case was pending.
Lyons, 57, was accused of physically assaulting his girlfriend during a heated argument at their home in Hermosa Beach, California, on January 14 after a friend of his girlfriend called 911.
According to the Boston Globe, Lyons’ girlfriend informed responding cops that the former Major League ballplayer never touched her in an offensive manner, however.
The case against Lyons was undermined in part because cops lost the photos that they took of the woman at the scene.
Lyons told the Globe that he was relieved by the outcome, adding that his girlfriend suffers from cataplexy and narcolepsy, which caused her to fall against a chair on the evening in question. “It’s been a tough time trying to prove my innocence about something that never happened.” The couple is still together.
The presiding judge dropped all charges against Lyons, which consisted of one count of domestic battery and two counts of intimidating witnesses, all misdemeanors under California law.
Back in August, the attorney for the broadcaster insisted that Lyons would be “100 percent vindicated” either during pretrial proceedings or a trial, WEEI reported.
Steve Lyons played nine MLB seasons, with three different stints with the Boston Red Sox. During his career, the utility player was also a member of the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Montreal Expos.
With longtime color commentator Jerry Remy still receiving lung cancer treatment, Lyons will likely call Red Sox games alongside play-by-play man Dave O’Brien (assuming Lyons is reinstated, which is likely) on NESN. In Remy’s absence, O’Brien has worked with Dennis Eckersley, who generally only does home games, and fill-ins Jonny Gomes, Mike Timlin, and Wade Boggs. Had he not been tied up in legal issues, Lyons probably would have been behind the mic for some of those gamecasts rather than handling studio duties.
Going into tonight’s action, the Boston Red Sox are 68-51, good for first place in the American League East, with a 4-1/2 game cushion over rival New York Yankees. Last night, the Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 10-4. The interleague matchup included a triple play started by third baseman Rafael Devers.
Your classic 5-4-3 triple play! pic.twitter.com/DuHwLLC2XX
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 16, 2017
The rookie also hit a game-tying, ninth-inning home run against the Yankees Sunday night in the ESPN national game, a contest that the Sox would go on to win, thereby extending their AL East lead.
The Boston Red Sox take the field against the Cardinals again tonight followed by an off-day on Thursday.
[Featured Image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]
