Comeback skid
Yanks' Strawberry arrested on cocaine, solicitation charges
Posted: Thursday April 15, 1999 02:28 PM
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Darryl Strawberry's arrest came while he was in Tampa rehabbing from colon cancer surgery. AP |
TAMPA, Fla. (CNN/SI) -- Just six months after undergoing colon cancer
treatment, the career of Darryl Strawberry took
another disastrous turn Wednesday night when the New York Yankees
outfielder was arrested on charges of cocaine possession and solicitation
for prostitution.
The New York Yankees outfielder, in a gold-colored 1999 Ford Explorer,
solicited an undercover officer for sex for $50, a spokesman for the Tampa
Police department said after Wednesday night's arrest about three miles
from the team's training complex.
Upon being searched by two police officers at 10:10 p.m. ET, 0.3 grams
of powder cocaine was found wrapped inside a $20 bill inside of his wallet,
police said.
After being booked at the Hillsborough County Jail, he was released on
$6,000 bond shortly after 1 a.m. ET Thursday.
"The Yankees have learned that Darryl Strawberry has been arrested
Wednesday night in Tampa," team spokesman Rick Cerrone told SportsTicker.
"We are in the process of acquiring the facts and obviously must let all
the legal processes take their course before making any comment."
| Strawberry Chronology
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Jan. 29, 1987 -- Strawberry's
wife, Lisa, files a petition for legal separation in Los Angeles Superior
County Court.
April 7, 1989 -- Named in a lawsuit in Clayton,
Mo., charging that he fathered a son with Lisa Clayton.
May 18,
1989 -- Wife files divorce petition in Los Angeles.
Jan. 24,
1990 -- Blood tests establish Strawberry as father of Clayton's
child.
Jan. 26, 1990 -- Arrested for alleged assault with a
deadly weapon during an argument with his wife.
Feb. 3, 1990 --
Enters Smithers Center for alcohol rehabilitation.
March 9, 1990
-- Los Angeles city attorneys announce no charges will be filed.
Sept. 4, 1993 -- Arrested for allegedly striking Charisse Simons,
the 26-year-old woman he lived with.
Sept. 21, 1993 -- No
criminal charges are filed by Simons after the Sept. 4 incident.
March 3, 1994 -- Investigated by the IRS and U.S. Attorney's Office for
allegedly failing to file tax returns for in excess of $300,000 of income
derived from autograph and memorabilia shows.
April 3, 1994 --
Failed to show up for the Dodgers' final exhibition game against California
at Anaheim Stadium, and not located until that night.
April 4, 1994
-- Dodgers announce Strawberry has a substance abuse problem and place
him on the disabled list.
April 8, 1994 -- Enters Betty Ford
Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
May 6, 1994 -- Finishes his
28-day stay at Betty Ford.
Dec. 8, 1994 -- He and his agent
Eric Goldschmidt were indicted on federal tax evasion charges alleging that
Strawberry failed to report more than $500,000 in income earned from 1986
through 1990.
Dec. 18, 1994 -- Strawberry and Goldschmidt plead
innocent to tax evasion.
Feb. 6, 1995 -- Major league baseball
suspends Strawberry for 60 days after he tested positive for cocaine. The
Giants release him.
April 24, 1995 -- Strawberry is ordered to
repay $350,000 in back taxes and sentenced to six months of home
confinement.
June 19, 1995 -- New York Yankees announce they
have reached an agreement with Strawberry.
Aug. 4, 1995 --
Yankees purchase his contract from Columbus of the International
League.
Dec. 2, 1995 -- Yankees do not exercise option, making
Strawberry free agent.
Dec. 11, 1995 -- Strawberry is charged
in California with failing to make child support payments.
May 3,
1996 -- Strawberry signs with the St. Paul Saints of the independent
Northern League.
June 24, 1996 -- Los Angeles Municipal Court
Comissioner sets a July 5 trial date for Strawberry, accused of failing to
pay $300,000 to his ex-wife Lisa by a June 24 deadline.
July 4,
1996 -- Yankees purchase his contract from St. Paul and assign him to
Columbus.
July 5, 1996 -- Strawberry tells court he will will
use his $260,000 signing bonus as partial payment of support owed his
ex-wife and children.
July 7, 1996 -- Strawberry promoted to
Yankees.
June 25, 1997 -- Undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his
left knee.
Aug. 15, 1997 -- Activated by Yankees.
Jan.
9, 1998 -- Re-signs one-year deal with Yankees for $750,000.
Aug. 20, 1998 -- Sued by attorney Robert Shapiro for $100,000 plus
interest in fees for a contract settlement Shapiro negotiated with the
Dodgers in 1994.
Oct. 1, 1998 -- Diagnosed with colon
cancer.
Oct. 3, 1998 -- Undergoes surgery to have a 16-inch
portion of his large intestine removed to get rid of a tumor. .
Oct. 9, 1998 -- Doctors announce that Strawberry will have to undergo
chemotherapy after it was found that the cancer had spread to a lymph
node.
Oct. 16, 1998 -- Released from the hospital.
Oct.
23, 1998 -- Joins his teammates in the victory parade to celebrate the
Yankees world championship.
Jan. 9, 1999 -- Has surgery to
relieve pain caused by scar tissue from his operation for colon cancer.
Feb. 9, 1999 -- Makes debut as spokesman for the National Council
on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, saying he is optimistic about his
future.
Feb. 15, 1999 -- Angers owner George Steinbrenner by
missing an autograph session. Strawberry apologized for his absence a day
later.
March 10, 1999 -- Strawberry, still undergoing
chemotherapy, goes 1-for-4 in an exhibition game, his first appearance in a
game since colon cancer surgery.
March 25, 1999 -- Strawberry
and attorney Robert Shapiro resolve their legal dispute.
March 29,
1999 -- Yankees announce that Strawberry will remain at extended spring
training instead of joining the club on the opening-day roster.
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Strawberry, 37, an eight-time All-Star, has been in Tampa at the
Yankees' extended spring training camp while he works back into shape
following colon cancer surgery last Oct. 3.
He was in New York last weekend to receive his World Series ring, then
returned to Tampa. He was not expected to rejoin the Yankees until next
month, after a stint with Columbus of the Class AAA International League.
The Yankees did not want him to join Columbus until after he completed
chemotherapy.
After the Yankees won the World Series without him, New York City Mayor
Rudolph W. Giuliani praised Strawberry "for the comeback he's made as a
baseball player and the comeback he's making in life." Strawberry's
list of substance abuse problems is lengthy.
Major League Baseball suspended him for 60 days in 1995 after he tested
positive for cocaine. The previous year, he entered the Betty Ford Center
in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and spent four weeks undergoing treatment of a
substance abuse problem. In 1990, he entered the Smithers Center in New
York for alcohol rehabilitation. In addition to substance abuse,
Strawberry also ran afoul of tax laws. In April 1995, a federal court
ordered him to repay $350,000 in back taxes and sentenced him to six months
of home confinement. But the order allowed him to leave home for practice
and games, and to travel to road games.
Strawberry, who came to prominence with the New York Mets in the
early 1980s and won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1983, also has had
off-and-on problems in Los Angeles, where he was accused of failing to make
timely payments to his ex-wife Lisa.
He rebounded after signing with the Yankees in June 1995 and had remained
drug free, with regular testing by major league baseball. Strawberry had
his best season in seven years in 1998, hitting .247 with 24 home runs and
57 RBIs in 295 at-bats.
The Yankees, because of complicated rules involving baseball's luxury tax,
shifted him to a minor league roster during the offseason, fearing he would
not be healthy enough to play by opening day.
Strawberry, the No. 1 pick in baseball's June 1980 amateur draft, joined
with Dwight Gooden
to help lead the Mets to the 1986 World Series title. Gooden also has had
cocaine problems and currently is with the Cleveland Indians.
Strawberry has a .250 career average with 332 homers and 994 RBIs in 16
major league seasons with the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers,
San Francisco Giants
and Yankees. He led the NL with 39 homers in 1988 and topped 100 RBIs three
times with the Mets from 1987-90.
The Associated Press and Ticker contributed to this report
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