Advertisement 1

Former baseball reporter writes about alleged rape by MLB player

Article content

Almost two decades later, a former sports reporter has alleged she was raped by a Major League Baseball player in 2002.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

In a New York Times op-ed published on Sunday, Kat O’Brien wrote the alleged attack occurred when she was a 22-year-old junior reporter in Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram interviewing the player in a hotel room at the time.

“We spoke for a few minutes as I asked some questions and he answered. Then he moved suddenly to kiss me,” wrote O’ Brien.

Article content

“I said, no, no, I don’t want that, but he pushed me over to the bed. I tried to shove him. I said no, stop, no, stop, over and over. He pushed further, getting on top of me, pulling off my skirt, and having sex with me against my will.”

O’ Brien, who spent the ‘02 season writing about how foreign players were adjusting to life in the U.S., neither named the player or the team he was on.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“I choose not to name him because it would only open me up to the possibility of having dirt thrown on my reputation; even all these years later and in the wake of the #MeToo movement, a former professional athlete wields considerable power,” wrote O’ Brien.

“I hope I can help bring about systemic change rather than seek unlikely-to-come justice for one horrible act.”

O’Brien, a Notre Dame graduate, covered the Texas Rangers for the Star-Telegram and then the New York Yankees for Newsday.

She said she never reported the rape, fearing it would ruin her career.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

“I was 22 with no track record, and at that time — nearly two decades ago — most people in baseball would have rallied to protect the athlete. So I blamed myself,” she wrote.

O’Brien said she only wrote her story after reading reports in January that New York Mets general manager Jared Porter was sacked for sexting a female reporter.

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers