According to an ESPN report, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction, went on a drinking binge this week.
The relapse took place at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill in Dallas on Monday. His teammate Ian Kinsler was summoned to the bar and tried unsuccessfully to get Hamilton to go home with him.
According to a team spokesman, “The Rangers are aware of a situation but have no further comment at this time.”
The MLB player, 30, was banned from baseball in 2003 for drug and alcohol use while in the Tampa Bay organization. He was reinstated in 2006 and after a stint with the Cincinnati Red was traded to the Rangers.
He suffered a widely publicized relapse in Tempe, Arizona in 2009. A number of incriminating bar photos surfaced seven months after he partied with a group of women. The team assigned him an accountability partner who shadowed him through the next season.
Josh picked up two significant honors at the end of the 2010 season: American League Batting Champion and American League Championship Series MVP. Despite a mid-season injury, he was named an All Star in 2011.
Hamilton has been married to Katie Chadwick since 2004. They have three daughters; Sierra, Michaela Grace, and Stella Faith. Katie also has a daughter, Julia, from a previous relationship.
UPDATE: Hamilton acknowledged that he had a “moment of weakness” at two Dallas bars on Monday night. He apologized to his family, fans and the team during a 12-minute news conference at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Friday.
He went on to say, “You guys all know how hard I play on the field and I give it everything I absolutely have. When I don’t do that off the field, I leave myself open for a weak moment. It was just wrong. That’s all it comes down to. I needed to be at a difference place. I needed to be responsible. I was not responsible. Those actions of mine have hurt a lot of people I’m very close to.”
Check out his news conference statement below:
Photos: WENN