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February 11, 2009NFL Mock Draft Review: 02/11/08
February 11, 2009Wow. They talk about falls from grace, but today’s news out of New York may be one of the more shocking stories that I have read in quite some time.
Former Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar, now 41-years of age, is currently on the unfortunate end of a lawsuit that claims he had sexual intercourse with then girlfriend while knowing he was a victim of the HIV Virus.
In papers filed in state and federal court, [Ilya] Dall said Alomar finally got tested in January 2006 while suffering from a cough, fatigue and shingles.
“The test results of him being HIV-positive was given to him and the plaintiff on or about Feb.6, 2006,” the $15 million negligence suit says.
Nine days later, the couple went to see a disease specialist who discovered a mass in the retired second baseman’s chest, the court papers say.
Alomar’s skin had turned purple, he was foaming at the mouth and a spinal tap “showed he had full-blown AIDS,” the suit says.
An unfortunate downward spiral to say the least. It must be said that these are purely allegations at this point and no one from Alomar’s camp is admitting any wrongdoing. His lawyer will not speak until court. His father (Sandy Sr.) claims he knew nothing of the sort – and finds it difficult to believe these medical issues could be kept secret for so long. Most of the time, when a mass has to be removed from one’s chest, that is the worst part of any health news. However, given the medical documentation of shingles, foaming at the mouth and the whole Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, that was obviously not the case.
Other medical issues being reported in Alomar’s history are also relatively shocking.
In 2004, Dall says she noticed cold sores in his mouth.
In April 2005, Alomar told Dall he was suffering from erectile dysfunction and confided “he was raped by two Mexican men after playing a ballgame in New Mexico or a Southwestern state when he was 17,” the suit says.
It goes on to say that around the same time Alomar developed a persistent cough and was bedridden with extreme fatigue.
At one time, former Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar was a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. He was a part of a run that forced Clevelanders to embrace a man who had once spit on umpire John Hirschbeck. He formed one of the best defensive middle-infield tandems ever to play the game, along side shortstop Omar Vizquel.
When the Tribe were forced to rebuild, Alomar was shipped in a trade that could have garnered so much more than it did. In return, the Steve Phillips-led Mets sent Matt Lawton, Jerrod Riggan and Alex Escobar.
However, once he landed with the Mets, things began to fall apart. With the Indians in 2001, Alomar hit .336/.415/.541. A year later, Alomar produced a line of .266/.331/.376 – well off of the mark from what the Mets thought they were getting. From there, he bounced around between the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. And then in 2005, Alomar retired from what were being disclosed as “health issues.”
There will likely be mixed emotions by many fans on this matter as this story continue to unfold.
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[WFNY note: Given the nature of the topic, there will be absolutely zero tolerance of any off-color comments on the matter. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.]
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$15M Lawsuit claims ex-Met Roberto Alomar had sex knowing he had AIDS [NYDailyNews]
27 Comments
simply allegations at this point…strange though.
Don’t forget Billy Traber! He pitched one good game for the Tribe, I think.
This is one of those things that, IF it’s true, is just completely saddening. I remember how close the Tribe came in 1998 to beating the “juggernaut” Yankees, and then when Robbie signed for 1999 I was sure that was going to be it. That lineup with Lofton, Vizquel, Alomar, Ramirez, and Thome was just sick.
I remember being shocked about how quickly he fell off the table in 2002. I remember wondering if he was using performance enhancers at some time in his career, and that maybe he had stopped using them by 2002. I now think that more likely, as a health concern such as this would probably prompt one to stop using.
I also remember him being married to a professional tennis player (Mary Pierce, I think?) and wonder if this has anything to do with their split.
I also NOW wonder if the Tribe was wise to anything, and then was so quick to trade him before he fell off production-wise.
All of this conjecture aside, it truly is sad. Alomar with the Tribe was probably the best I’ve ever seen a second baseman play over a span of multiple seasons. Truly sad.
Wow, this is jarring. Wasn’t Robbie married to Mary Pierce, the tennis player?
WOW.
Don’t know if Robbie actually tied the knot with Mary P.-there were engaged for like years.
WOW. If true, really sad and tragic.
This makes me incredibly sad. Watching Robbie those few years were great and I definitely wish him the best.
Is part of the claim that he had AIDS from when he was 17? If so, how did that not come up at any point prior to 2005? That part seems a little unclear.
At the risk of toeing the “decency” line on my part…
#6 Ezzie: my interpretation was that that particular piece of evidence (the rape at age 17) was more of a reasoning for the erectile dysfuction she claims he had at the time (as in, a mental consequence of the rape was the ED). Just my best guess.
If this is true, Robbie has millions and can afford the best health coverage. If the aforementioned allegations are true I hope he can admit the scope of his illness and get the treatment he needs.
I am sure there are numerous pros in all sports with some serious STD’s so to think he’s the only one is a reach.
One day we will realize how lucky to see the greatest DP combo in history play for us for those several years.
Is that really the best pic of Alomar you could get?!
If this is true, I feel truely sorry for Robbie.
On a different note, I wish the Indians would bring back the dark jerseys from the top pic of robbie and omar. Why change a good thing?
He’s got the AIDS! Not HIV but full blown AIDS.
Strange, very sad story.
Don’t know if this counts as “off-color”; understand that I’m not trying to be difficult.
If Alomar has AIDS, then he is indeed a victim of a terrible disease.
BUT if he did what he’s accused of doing, he’s NOT a victim of a lawsuit. He should be sued for plenty. From the allegations I’ve read, he behaved immorally and irresponsibly. There’s another victim to consider (Ilya Dall), and as far as I’ve heard, she’s deserves quite a bit of sympathy too.
Regardless, this is a sad and awful story.
this is extremely sad because when I was younger I grew up in Toronto watching Blue Jay’s game’s with my dad and Robbie was our favorite player. When we moved to Cleveland in the fourth grade I almost immediately became a fan of the Indians. When we picked up Robbie in free agency I was extremely pumped. So was my dad.
To hear he has AIDS or full blown HIV is very disappointing. He will always remain one of the best second basemen in the history of baseball without a doubt.
[WFNY Edit]
Didn’t Robbie spit in the face of an umpire a few years ago?? What does the umpire have to say about this??
[WFNY Edit: We get it. There’s a song that mentions AIDS]
@ Kevin – The linked article said they asked the umpire if he thought could have been infected. The ump said that he doesnt question his health and holds no ill-will towards Alomar.
Kevin – you could read the article. The last four paragraphs:
Considered one of baseball’s greatest second basemen, Alomar stirred controversy in 1996 by spitting in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck.
The incident prompted fellow ump Al Clark to say, “If I were John, I’d insist that Robbie Alomar take an AIDS test.”
HIV has never been transmitted through saliva, however, and last night Hirschbeck said he had no concerns about his safety – or hard feelings from their on-field run-in.
“You’re telling me something I’m shocked at,” Hirschbeck said. “I wish him nothing but the best.”
And come on, man – what about no off color comments don’t you understand? Even I’m above that.
I hope he can improve his health but more importantly I hope the woman involved is healthy and OK. That would be a terrible thing for her to get infected from all of this.
Jeez this puts a damper on my day. Robbie was my favorite player growing up, even though he was with us for just a few years. Watching him and Omar put on their acrobatics show every night was what inspired me to play second base myself.
I honestly don’t know what to say. I hope that Robbie is able to get all the medical attention he needs, and that this lawsuit is settled amicably, if that’s even remotely possible at this point. He’ll always have a special place in the hearts of Clevelanders.
I heard on the radio that the girlfiend got tested and is clean… she is only suing for “emotional distress” or something like that. She found out that Robbie was infected back in like 2006… had been dating him for a couple years allready… and continued sleeping with him (making sure to keep protected this time). It sounds like a sloppy breakup led her to decide to sue… and 15 million for “emotional distress” when you stayed with him for a whole 2 years afterwards seems pretty steep…
i’m just touched that he moved back to Cleveland after his playing days, if only for a couple years, and if only to take advantage of our great hospitals in Cleveland. To me, that makes him ok in my book.
This story is both very sad and disturbing. AIDS does not discriminate; anyone who engages in unprotected sex is fair game. It is also next to impossible to determine when one becomes infected, as the incubation period for its development varies greatly and may take a long time. So, don’t blame it on the alleged Mexican rapists…it may have been from any one of the numerous indiscretions with prostitutes – or whatever else – which occured. Roberto Alomar’s accomplishments and successes are not diminished, however, as we now realize the cause of the end of his career.
I don’t know, this sounds so over the top that it really looks to me like some sort of break-up payback. I mean, he’s not just accused of having AIDS, he’s also accused of not being able to get it up and having been raped by men. It just looks like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink assault on his manhood (and who knows, maybe the kitchen sink is in there, too. That garbage disposal has been acting pretty slutty).
Just because his girlfriend is negative today doesn’t mean that she will remain HIV free in the upcoming years. HIV can remain dormant in your body for up to 20 years.
whoa..i wonder if that umpire he spat on got AIDS from him? wait i wonder if i got it from him when i shook his hand in tokyo at a club while he was there for the usa/japan all star game? shit. i got aids from robbie alomar.
[…] Alomar refuted yesterday’s story by claiming that he is in good health. He called the accusations of Ilya Dall a “vile […]
I hope these allegations are just simply that,
I would find it incredibly difficult for Robbie to have had AIDS or even HIV and it not be detected by one of the many team doctors who inspected him over his illustrious career….
Also the lawsuit claims that his ex-girlfriend continued to have unprotected sex with Robbie even after they were supposively informed of his health conditions and if that is the case then she has no case in my opinion…