Indians: Omar Vizquel’s legacy with the team is forever tainted

Indians’ legend Omar Vizquel may never be welcomed back after the latest scandal.

It’s sad to say it, but Omar Vizquel’s legacy is forever tainted. The former Indians legend and all-time great defensive shortstop has found himself in one damning situation after another since retiring. Vizquel was accused in 2020 of assaulting his estranged wife Bianca, which wasn’t the first time she accused him either. The two are going through a divorce and the MLB is in the middle of an open investigation about that matter. If that wasn’t bad enough, the latest scandal may be just as damning.

A 25-year-old autistic man is suing Omar Vizquel, the Triple-A team Vizquel managed at the time, The Barons, their Major-league affiliate White Sox, and the Chisox Corporation for wrongs suffered during his time as a batboy for the Triple-A organization.

The man’s suit alleges that Vizquel exhibited sexually aggressive behavior, which includes indecent exposure, demanding the man wash Vizquel’s back, and even propositioning the man sexually during the plaintiff’s time there according to Sports Illustrated. The suit also alleges that all involved violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The White Sox knew of Omar Vizquel’s behavior

Worst of all, the White Sox confirmed to an extent that events transpired that shouldn’t have when they fired Vizquel in 2019 after launching an investigation into the accusations. The White Sox commented to ESPN’s Jeff Passan just before the story broke;

"After first learning of an alleged incident in late August 2019, the Chicago White Sox conducted an internal investigation that resulted in the termination of the organization’s relationship with Omar Vizquel. Because this is active litigation, at this time the White Sox will not comment further regarding the allegations included in this lawsuitMore from Cleveland GuardiansCleveland Guardians calling Gavin Williams up more than a year after minor league debutThe Cleveland Guardians were right to move on from Mike ZuninoThe Cleveland Guardians screwed up trading Nolan Jones for Juan BritoHas the hype gotten too loud around Bo Naylor’s eventual main roster runThe Cleveland Guardians struggles won’t be fixed with a change at catcher"

In 2019 however, the White Sox sang a much different tune, with the director of player development Chris Getz saying;

"Listen, Omar, ultra-talented player, very good instructor, created a good environment for our players. We just felt with where things are at, our player development system, that it was time to go separate ways."

Clearly, they’re not saying the same thing anymore, for a good reason.

Worse yet, a Tiger’s batboy also accused Vizquel of the same alleged action in 2015. Since he was fired with presumed cause from the White Sox organization for the same allegations, it’s fair to say there is validity to these accusations.

The White Sox clearly held him responsible for his actions already, and there’s a reason he wasn’t in the Major Leagues anymore after once being seen as an MLB manager “heir apparent”.  He was probably coaching in Mexico for the last two seasons because no one wanted to deal with what came with him. Why else would someone who was in demand and seen as an MLB manager settle for jobs in Mexico?

Something changed that for a reason.