Omar Vizquel sued for alleged sexual harassment of an autistic batboy

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Editor’s Note: This story includes graphic descriptions of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Former MLB shortstop Omar Vizquel is being sued for allegedly sexually harassing a batboy with autism while he was manager of the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Barons, the White Sox and the Chisox Corporation are all named as defendants in the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, South Division.

Lawsuit accuses Vizquel of “sexually aggressive behavior” and “at least five occasions” where he “deliberately exposed his erect or partially erect penis” to the 25-year-old, while demanding that he wash his back . The worker “humiliated, intimidated and afraid of what would happen if he disobeyed … complied with Vizquel’s request,” according to the lawsuit.

Rick Osentoski / USA TODAY Sports

The lawsuit claims that after a game on August 22, 2019, Vizquel stepped out of a shower naked, handed him a bar of soap and said, “Wash me well!”

According to the complaint, Vizquel told the worker that he was sexually interested in men, but the worker made it clear that he had no interest in having sex with Vizquel. Yet as part of his duties, the batboy constantly had to complete tasks that brought him to the coaches office and shower area.

One of those jobs was to fill the fridge with Vizquel’s favorite beer. The lawsuit claimed that on at least five occasions a partially undressed Vizquel approached the batboy from behind as he was filling the refrigerator and attempted to have “normal” conversations with him. During these conversations, Vizquel allegedly exposed his partially or fully erected penis to the batboy “showing that his purpose in exposing himself was to obtain sexual gratification.”

When the batboy informed several of the Barons’ staff that he had been forced to wash Vizquel’s back, they laughed and told him, “Everything that happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.” , according to the complaint.

The complainant, who will not be named because he is a potential victim of sexual harassment, “has substantial deficiencies in processing information, handling stressful situations, successfully maintaining interpersonal relationships and activities such as driving and work, “according to the complaint. The worker accuses the White Sox and Barons of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act and claims back wages and damages.

The complaint mentions that the batboy had a rough childhood and was bullied because of his autism, but when he was hired by the Barons in 2019 he “felt for one of the first times in his life. life that he was part of a team “. He also considered Vizquel a “friend”.

Vizquel was suspended and investigated by the White Sox in 2019 and was ultimately fired in September. The lawsuit alleges that the White Sox had “real or suspected” knowledge of similar events involving Vizquel.

“After first learning of an alleged incident in late August 2019, the Chicago White Sox conducted an internal investigation which resulted in the termination of the organization’s relationship with Omar Vizquel,” the White Sox said in a statement. release, according to ESPN. “Because this is an active litigation, at this time the White Sox will not comment further on the allegations included in this lawsuit.”

The complaint also mentioned that in 2015, a Tigers batboy tweeted “Omar Vizquel told me day one batboys have to clean coaches’ backs in showers.” Vizquel was the Tigers’ first base coach from 2013 to 2017. The Detroit batboy later told The Athletic he thought Vizquel’s comment was a joke and that he didn’t wash his back. .

In 2020, Vizquel’s wife accused him of repeatedly physically assaulting her. He was arrested once but was not prosecuted and Vizquel denied the abuse. He has not been employed in the MLB since his dismissal from the White Sox, but was fired last week as manager of the Tijuana Bulls in the Mexican Baseball League after two seasons.

Vizquel played 24 seasons in the majors and has been on the Hall of Fame poll for four years. He received 52.6% of the vote in 2020, but saw a slight drop to 49.1% after his wife’s allegations emerged.

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