The Miami Marlins have made a huge decision on what they are going to do with their late pitcher’s retired jersey. Despite reports that Jose Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of his death, the MLB organization still plans on keeping his jersey retired.
Before the homicide investigation revealed that Fernandez had an illegal substance in his body at the time of death, team owner Jeffrey Loria said that no other Marlins player would wear #16 again, according to TMZ.
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At the time the boat crashed, law enforcement officials revealed that the Fernandez was coked up and drunk when he and two other friends were killed.
When the boat hit a jetty near Miami Beach on September 25, the 24-year-old pitcher suffered injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma to the head and torso. He also sustained skull and jaw fractures.
Kenneth Hutchins, the associate medical examiner on the case, listed the “boat crash” as the cause of death, but also said Fernández was legally drunk with a blood alcohol level of .147, according to CNN.
While the authorities have determined Fernandez’s cause of death, they have not yet figured out who was driving the boat. The investigators on the case did mention that boat was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed at the time it crashed.
A lawyer for Jose’s family has said officials have communicated with a “highly reliable” witness who said that Jose was not driving the boat. The witness was reportedly speaking with Jose on the phone before the crash, and that the Miami Marlins star was giving directions to someone else who was supposedly driving.
Before his untimely passing, Fernandez had a very promising future with the MLB and was also looking forward to becoming a father.
Fernandez’s agent, Scott Boras recalled: “When he found out he was going to be a father he wanted to know: ‘Am I going to be a good father?’ and I told him, ‘You’re going to be a great father, because you’re going to treat your child like your mother treated you. And you’ll know exactly what to do.’ The next day he bought a glove and put Penelope on it for his unborn daughter.”
Boras also told PEOPLE about how much the late pitcher valued his relationships with the ones he cared for the most. “He pitched for his mother and grandmother,” Boras stated. “What a relationship. Rarely do you see a mother and a son and grandmother while in the middle of Major League game reflect a relationship that was so loving and so close.”
What are your thoughts on the Miami Marlins deciding to keep Jose Fernandez’s jersey retired even though he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of his death?
[H/T TMZ]
