Yasiel Puig was criticized for his over-the-top behavior on the field last season. Off of it, though, he was the subject of bullying, according to Dodgers teammate J.P. Howell.
Howell spoke out strongly against bullying in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, recalling what he had to deal with as a kid and his experience in the major leagues. Howell would not get into the details of what happened to Puig, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, but said it did go on.
“The guy is such a champion,” Howell told the paper. “He has such a big heart. Sometimes he acts like a jerk, but that is his defense mechanism. It’s not really him. Someday, he is not going to be 22. He’s not going to be like that. I love the guy. I hope he never changes, just maybe matures.”
Bullying in sports is a hot topic as the NFL continues to deal with the mess surrounding the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito situation with the Miami Dolphins.
“There is definitely a code,” said Howell, who was speaking to preschoolers in Los Angeles about bullying this week.
“There is a line that has to be drawn too, and you can’t cross that line. I don’t know what is cool and appropriate in football. What I heard in that voice mail is not going on in baseball. That’s never going to be OK. I think the league should put a stop to it. Even if it’s accepted in the NFL, it shouldn’t be accepted.”