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Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman responds to Ronald Acuña Jr. allegations

By Adam Weinrib|
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 5; Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers beats the throw to Max Stassi #33 of the Los Angeles Angels to score a run during a preseason game at Dodger Stadium on April 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 5; Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers beats the throw to Max Stassi #33 of the Los Angeles Angels to score a run during a preseason game at Dodger Stadium on April 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ latest star found himself in a controversy of someone else’s making on Thursday, waking up to allegations that his former superstar teammate was glad to see him gone.

Freddie Freeman took to the mic live on MLB Network prior to Dodgers Opening Day in an effort to respond to Ronald Acuña Jr.’s allegations, though the narrative has been muddy and confusing from the start.

Acuña responded directly to the reporter he spoke with on IG Live, claiming his comments had been taken out of context. Every direct translation of RAJ’s words seemed to basically confirm the initial speculation, though, and Freeman’s live response on MLB Network didn’t refute the Braves star’s main talking points, either.

While Freeman claims he doesn’t believe what he and Acuña Jr. have experienced qualifies as a “clash,” his explanation was less an exoneration and more a Bill Clinton-style “depends on what your definition of is is”.

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman doesn’t think he clashed with Ronald Acuña Jr.

Freeman’s words seem to indicate there isn’t any lingering feud between he and his former teammate, and even Acuña Jr. didn’t say anything explicit suggesting Braves players will be rallying around the first baseman’s absence.

Instead, Acuña Jr. mainly expressed discomfort at some of the needling Freeman did in his early days with the team, and made it clear the two weren’t particularly close.

Freeman, conversely, expressed love and said his family will miss spending time with Acuña Jr., but he also admitted that he served as a defender of the Braves’ shield in his early days, standing up for tradition as the team’s teenaged star acclimated to big-league life.

The fact that hard feelings reportedly remain seemed surprising to Freeman, but according to everything he rattled off, he’s certainly guilty as charged regarding his early interactions with Acuña Jr.

Don’t expect further commentary or a more forthright apology from Freeman, who seems to have settled on the stance of, “Sure, I guess that happened, but I thought we were past it.”

And … perhaps Acuña Jr. is past it. Remember, even he attempted to push back on the narrative that was beginning to form on Wednesday night, trying to erase it before translations began to swirl around.

Maybe this is all just a lesson in media management and what it means to be “unfiltered”.

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