10:35 PM
Florida
Marlins pitcher, Leo Nunez isn’t Leo Nunez after all. According to various
articles, the closing pitcher has been lying about his name and age since being
signed in 2000. Nunez has been placed on the “restricted list” and has left the
country. This prompted the media’s curiosity. As the story unraveled, the media
found out that he was placed on this list because of his name and age. Nunez’
real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo, and he’s actually 29, a year older than his
age listed in the team’s media guide.
I
could find no information as to why Oviedo chose to sign and play under false
pretenses.
Also
adding to the scandal is that the team has known about the lies for months, and
until now, has declined to do anything about them. Currently, Oviedo is suspended
and isn’t expected to pitch for the remainder of the season.
The
issue caused Oviedo to return home to his home in the Dominican Republic, and
it is said that two people, other than the Marlins team, has also known about
his immigration status. Both the team and Oviedo’s agent, Andy Mota, have
declined to comment on the scandal.
I
found this article interesting and confusing. It confused me because I could
not figure out why the major leaguer would want to make himself seem younger
than he was or why he’d assume anything other than his “legal” name. As stated
earlier, I could not find any information to answer these questions either.
It
was interesting because while researching I’ve read that other players have
been guilty of this as well, these players usually only lied about their ages.
This, I believe, is one of the first to give a false name and age.
I
can’t, personally, understand why any player would want to play under false
information. With media scrutiny, it is sure to be found out, so why even try?
And what was he trying to hide by lying? Articles have suggested that he might hold
a deep, dark past. Not only is it still not known why he chose to lie, but it
is also not know if the player will face legal trouble over the lies.
It
seems to me that his lie is causing him more harm than good. Not only has he
been placed on the restricted list, his contract will soon be up, and now it is
unknown if the team will re-sign the pitcher. He also had to leave the country,
whether it was by force or will, I’m not sure. But something tells me, he didn’t
leave out of his own will.
I
hope that through all of this, the pitcher as well as others will learn from
the scandal. I hope that they realize that the lie will also come out, and just
as it was with Oviedo, the lie will always turn into the next big scandal. It
seems silly that the player would live his life telling white lies, especially
considering the trouble it’s causing him now.
Sources:
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