Rogers turn himself in to authorities on assault charges

Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers turned himself in to authorities today, after he was charged with misdemeanor assault for attacking television cameramen from a June 29 incident, at Ameriquest Field in Anaheim, Calif.

Rogers first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest’s David Mammeli, who was shooting video of the pitcher on his way to a pregame stretch, and told him, “I told you to get those cameras out of my face.”

The pitcher then approached Larry Rodriguez of Channel 4 KDFW and took the camera from Rodriguez before throwing it to the ground and kicking it. Rodriguez was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher and taken to a hospital. Both men later filed police reports.

Arlington police issued a Class A misdemeanor warrant against the pitcher on Monday in connection with the assault on Rodriguez, Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said. The charge is punishable by up to one year in jail and a USD 4,000 fine. He was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Monday morning and released on USD 1,500 bail.

Also on Monday, Arlington police mailed a Class C misdemeanor citation to Rogers, accusing him of assaulting Mammeli. The charge is punishable by up to a USD 500 fine.

Fox Sports, which owns a camera damaged in the incident, will not seek criminal mischief or destruction of property charges against Rogers, Gilfour said.

In a press conference a week after the incident a tearful Rogers, 40, apologized for the attacks and said they were “completely out of character,” but he offered no explanation about why he did it.

“I have 17 years in the Major Leagues, with all my experience, regardless of the circumstances, I should have acted professionally and I regret that that was not the case,” Rogers read from a handwritten statement. “I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed with myself for my inability to rise above the situation no matter how it became.”

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig fined Rogers USD 50,000 and suspended him for 20 games, but Rogers has appealed the decision and continues to play, including an appearance in the All-Star game last week.

On Saturday, he defeated the Oakland Athletics to boost his team-best record to 11-4.