City Council Speaker Pulls Domestic Violence Ads Featuring Mets Pitcher Jeurys Familia
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will be reaching out to the New York Mets after the team's All-Star closer Jeurys Familia was arrested on a domestic violence charge.
According to a criminal complaint, police said Familia caused "bodily injury to another" during an alleged incident early Monday at an apartment in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Responding officers saw a scratch on the chest and bruise on the right cheek of the victim, whose name was redacted from court documents.
Familia is one of several New York sports figures who appear in the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence's new "#NotAFan" campaign sponsored by Mark-Viverito. In one public service announcement video, Familia says in Spanish: "I am a fan of baseball. I am a fan of the Mets. I am not a fan of domestic violence."
Mark-Viverito said when she first heard of the charges she was angry, but now she's feeling saddened and overwhelmed, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
"I think it speaks to the reason why we engaged in this campaign," Mark-Viverito said. "This is an issue that's more pervasive and I think we want to acknowledge."
All of the ads involving Familia are being pulled from the air.
"We don't want his engagement in this campaign and we're going to look for someone else that we can partner with," Mark-Viverito said. "We have to do an investigation, that is the way all these processes play out, but this is very disturbing and we're acting quickly."
Mark-Viverito said Familia initially became involved in the campaign after the Mets were approached as a team, and Familia was either offered up to take part or volunteered, Schuck reported.
The 27-year-old pitcher was charged with simple assault.
Mets fans expressed disappointment.
"I think they have too much privilege, too much money, but it could also be his upbringing because men with no money do the same thing," one woman said. "It's very sad.
"I don't think no man should be putting his hands on a woman at all," one man said.
"It's sad if it's true, I hope everything works out, I hope it's not true," another woman said.
Familia was released on $1,500 bail and ordered to have no contact with the victim.
