“Oakland A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after cops say he pulled a gun on a woman,” TMZ Sports reported Saturday. “Cops say the alleged victim was a female food delivery driver who told them Maxwell pointed a gun at her.”
With the understanding that due process requires a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, it’s also understandable that many Americans are unsympathetic to seeing him get into trouble in a crime of violence case involving a gun. That’s because, even though he was a rookie, he was the only Major League Baseball player to take a knee during the national anthem, and also happens to be a supporter of “progressive” politics, foremost of which are demands for more gun laws.
Add to that a reluctance to believe anything his press people put out in his defense after Maxwell’s conduct has raised legitimate questions about his capability for telling the truth.
“Last week, Maxwell claimed during a visit to his hometown of Huntsville, Ala., that he was refused service at a restaurant because of his protest,” Fox News reported in a follow-up to TMZ’s scoop. “But a waiter told Fox News that Maxwell was outright lying, about what happened.”
“I didn’t even know who Bruce Maxwell was,” server Matt Henry protested, saying the flap happened when he carded Maxwell for a drink, a claim corroborated by the restaurant manager. That raises further questions about why a well-to-do “progressive” sports figure, who promotes himself as being a champion of the little guy, would vindictively seek to destroy the livelihood of a server.
by David Codrea
