Tigers suspend Colon Fight gives other Hen broken bones June 15, 2007
BY JON PAUL MOROSI FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
The Tigers have suspended right-hander Roman Colon for seven days after a physical altercation with teammates in the Triple-A Toledo clubhouse.
The club announced that Colon has a contusion on his left shoulder, but teammate Jason Karnuth was injured more severely.
Karnuth, the Mud Hens' closer, sustained broken bones in his face when he was punched during the fight.
Colon is believed to have thrown the punch, although when reached by telephone Thursday night, he said, "To be honest, I don't even know if I hit him or not. I swear to God. I saw the trainers the next day, and I have no scars on my fingers."
Karnuth, who had attempted to be a peacemaker during the scuffle, is due to have plastic surgery Monday. Screws will be inserted into his cheek, and it's possible he will not pitch again this season.
Colon, meanwhile, has returned to Lakeland, Fla., to serve his suspension. He said Thursday night that he has twice apologized to Karnuth, and also to Toledo interim manager Mike Rojas.
"I didn't even know he was hit," Colon said. "I was surprised. I just said, 'Jason, I'm sorry. I'm real, real sorry.' I called him the next morning. I apologized to him.
"If he needs anything, I will support him."
Rojas declined to comment when reached Thursday.
The Tigers did not provide details of the incident in their news release, but, according to multiple accounts, the dispute occurred in the following way:
• Virgil Vasquez, a right-handed pitcher, turned down the music on Colon's iPod before Tuesday's game.
• Colon admonished Vasquez, prompting infielder Kevin Hooper, one of the team's clubhouse leaders, to intervene. Hooper asked Colon to relax, at which point pitcher Jordan Tata became involved.
• Colon and Tata engaged in a brief shoving match, prompting Karnuth to step in and attempt to break it up. Karnuth was then punched in the face.
Colon was the only player suspended.
"I should not be the only one suspended," Colon said. "Why would I be suspended when they were calling me a (expletive) to my face?"
Asked why he believes he was the only player suspended, Colon said, "When they called people into the office to ask what happened in the fight, there were no Latino people in there. So, I was alone."
Paul Kinzer, Colon's agent, said Thursday he is not certain where Colon will pitch after his suspension lapses.
"I don't think they would put him back in that (Toledo) situation, but that will be up to the team," Kinzer said.
― Andy K, Friday, 15 June 2007 12:33 (eighteen years ago)
Slim Harpo "Please Don't Turn Me Down"
― francisF, Friday, 15 June 2007 18:13 (eighteen years ago)
GERARD GIMME 200 BUCKS
― Andy K, Friday, 15 June 2007 22:28 (eighteen years ago)
It WAS 200 bucks, right? It has been some time since I listened to Silkworm. Raposa?
― Andy K, Friday, 15 June 2007 22:36 (eighteen years ago)
Waitaminute... Cosloy = "cankles," amirite?
― Andy K, Friday, 15 June 2007 22:40 (eighteen years ago)
BTW the answer is "No More Llores Más" by Willie Colón.
― Andy K, Friday, 15 June 2007 22:49 (eighteen years ago)
Andy:
- you are correct (tho I had to Google to make sure; see one Developer) - Cosloy is Cosloy; cankles is ade
― David R., Friday, 15 June 2007 23:41 (eighteen years ago)
"The injury is worse than everybody thought," Mosa (Karnuth's agent) said. "His right eyeball is being held in place by his sinus cavity."
The Tigers suspended Colon for seven days after a physical altercation with teammates in the Triple-A Toledo clubhouse. He was the only player suspended.
Karnuth, who had attempted to be a peacemaker during the scuffle, is scheduled to have plastic surgery Monday. Screws will be inserted into his cheek, and it's possible he will not pitch again this season.
Karnuth, 31, has been placed on the Mud Hens' disabled list.
"His face was crushed," Mosa said. "It's devastating to sit there and have a plastic surgeon say that you need to have a titanium plate, with screws, placed in your face.
"He needs to have bone fragments removed from his nostrils. The damage is incredible."
― Andy K, Saturday, 16 June 2007 14:21 (eighteen years ago)
Colon indicted for assault on teammate UPDATED 8:37 P.M. June 29, 2007
By JOHN LOWE and JON PAUL MOROSI
Tigers pitcher Roman Colon has been indicted by a Lucas County, Ohio, grand jury on one count of felonious assault, Toledo Police Sgt. Tim Noble said Friday.
The wife of injured Toledo Mud Hens pitcher Jason Karnuth had submitted a report to the Toledo Police Department on June 15, claiming that Colon punched her husband in the face.
Karnuth had four hours of reconstructive surgery on June 19. He suffered multiple facial fractures after attempting to be a peacemaker during a clubhouse fight that began with a disagreement over music playing throughout the room on an iPod.
The Tigers suspended Colon for seven days following the incident, but he has since resumed pitching for Double-A Erie on a rehab assignment.
Colon was fighting with a teammate on June 12 before a game when Mud Hens pitcher Jason Karnuth tried to break it up, according to a police report. Colon hit Karnuth, breaking several bones in his face, the report said.
Karnuth’s agent, Mike Mosa, said Friday that a civil suit by Karnuth against Colon “is being seriously considered.”
Mosa said Karnuth, 31, might never regain feeling in parts of his mouth and upper lip that were damaged in the fight.
“If the nerves were severed, he won’t get the feeling back,” Mosa said. “If they were crushed, the doctors tell us, he will get the feeling back.”
Mosa also said Karnuth continued to have swelling and blurred vision in his right eye.
Karnuth is weeks away from pitching again, Mosa said. There are approximately two months left in the minor league season. Mosa said that if all went well for Karnuth, he could return for the final two weeks.
Mosa said Colon didn’t apologize to Karnuth.
“Roman left Jason a voice mail and said, ‘These kind of things happen,’.” Mosa said. “That was the only contact Roman made with Jason afterward. To me, that is 60 miles away from saying you are really sorry.”
Tigers spokesman Brian Britten said: “Colon will continue his injury-rehabilitation assignment with Erie. He has served his seven-game suspension from the organization, and we will let the legal proceedings play out.”
The legal proceedings include Colon’s arraignment. The date of the arraignment hasn’t been set, the Toledo Blade reported on its Web site Friday.
Colon’s agent, Paul Kinzer, had not returned a call seeking comment.
― Andy K, Saturday, 30 June 2007 02:32 (eighteen years ago)
Enjoy your time in Kansas City, Mr. Colon.
― Andy K, Friday, 13 July 2007 20:22 (eighteen years ago)
Not the Royals!
;_;
― David R., Friday, 13 July 2007 20:42 (eighteen years ago)
Thanks, Roman.
Thanks, Trey.
― Andy K, Saturday, 15 August 2009 01:36 (sixteen years ago)