Professional athletes and professional musicians are both groups that run afoul of the law from time to time. Something about fabulous riches and the sense of entitlement that comes with them, perhaps, but there are plenty of arrests among each group. Bernie Williams is in both groups, so you'd expect him to have a rap sheet as long as your arm.
He doesn't, of course, and never acted like anything less than a responsible adult man during his years in the spotlight with the Yankees. That's why it's really surprising to see an article with a headline alleging that Williams hit a woman in the face.
According to the Associated Press, a woman in San Juan has filed a complaint with police because Williams hit her in the face when she took his picture at a nightclub early Thursday morning. She claims Williams snatched the camera away and hit her in the face, although it isn't clear from the article if both things happened at the same time.
That would seem to matter, as punching a woman in the face is quite different than swatting away a camera, perhaps after declining a request to take a photo. Maybe that's grasping for an explanation that isn't in evidence, because the thought of Bernie Williams decking a woman isn't a comfortable one to have running around the head.
Williams, through a spokesman, denies all charges.
"Williams denies any wrongdoing, and we feel that some published media reports today are inaccurate," WIlliams' spokesman, Steve Fortunato, said. "At this time, Mr. Williams has been advised by his legal counsel, Jose M. Marxuach, to not make any further comments."
Police are investigating, but Williams left Puerto Rico for Miami where he and the rest of the Puerto Rican team will face the United States in the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
