Wednesday, former Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton surrendered to authorities in Fort Worth on an allegation of injury to a child, which is a 3rd-degree felony. According to CBSDFW, the 38-year-old was released on $35,000 bond. Details surrounding the allegation have not been revealed, per TMZ.
According to the report, one of the bond conditions was that Hamilton is to have no contact with one of his daughters. Although it has since been expanded to include any child under 17 years of age.
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Following the arrest, the Texas Rangers released a statement about Hamilton that read, “The Texas Rangers take the issue of family violence very seriously. We are aware of the situation involving Josh Hamilton. Since this is an ongoing legal matter, we have no further comment.”
After spending five seasons with the Rangers, Hamilton was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. He was a member of the team from 2008 to 2012 and helped lead the Rangers to two World Series appearances. Hamilton also won AL MVP in 2010 and was selected to the MLB All-Star Game each season.
Hamilton joined the Rangers after being traded from Cincinnati in 2007. And while the Rangers did not win either World Series, Hamilton later made headlines when he explained a home run that he had hit during Game 6 in 2011.
“We’re in that deciding game, and suddenly I’m in the on-deck circle, in extra innings, and I’m telling you, out of nowhere….I hear the Holy Spirit talking to me. This is the honest truth. For real,” Hamilton wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune. “I’m standing there, getting ready to bat, and I hear it clear as day. ‘You’re about to hit a homer right now, son.’”
This home run gave the Rangers a two-run lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, but the Texas-based franchise ultimately lost the World Series after allowing a comeback.
Throughout his career – and his life – Hamilton has struggled with drug and alcohol problems and suffered several relapses during his playing career. He later credited faith with keeping him on track in his piece for The Players’ Tribune.
“I hope that people saw me as just… a real person, a human being, with his struggles and his challenges like everyone else,” he wrote. “I wasn’t trying to pretend that I was Superman, or like I was above anybody and could do no wrong. I was just trying to do the best I could and to be honest about what I was going through.”
(Photo Credit: G Fiume/Getty Images)
