If you have a reputation to protect, you should do everything in your power to protect it because if you don’t, especially as an athlete, you may end up throwing your career in the trash can so it’s important to be cautious especially when dealing with women.
According to the New York Post, Rays star Wander Franco did not travel with the team over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor as the team is looking into the wild allegations to ascertain whether it’s true or false.
Rays star Wander Franco did not travel with the team as MLB looks into social media posts regarding the rising star.
Franco, 22, was not with his teammates on the Rays’ team plane as they headed to San Francisco for their upcoming series against the Giants, which starts Monday evening, according to ESPN.
The posts, which appear to have been deleted on X (formerly Twitter), reportedly emerged on Sunday and alleged that Franco was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Rays said MLB is looking into the posts and allegations.
“During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco,” the Rays said in a statement. “We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”
Franco did not play in the Rays’ 9-2 loss to the Guardians on Sunday, though manager Kevin Cash claimed it was a planned rest day.
“I’m aware of the speculation, and I’m not going to comment any further on that,” Cash told reporters after the game. “The day off was because [it was] a day off.”
From Wander Franco’s IG Live :
“They say that I’m in public with a little girl, that I’m running around with a minor. People don’t know what to do with their time. They don’t know what they’re talking about. That’s why I prefer to be on my side & not get involved with anybody.” pic.twitter.com/DEtsHCrbQW
— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) August 14, 2023
Franco started Sunday’s game in the Rays’ dugout, then left it in the fifth inning.
Sunday’s promotion at Tropicana Field was the Wander Franco Snapback Hat for fans 14 and under.
An American League All-Star in his third MLB season this year, Franco is slashing .281/.344/.475 with a .819 OPS, 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.
He signed an 11-year contract worth $182 million in November 2021, a deal with a team option for 2033 that could be worth $223 million.
Franco was the No. 1-overall prospect in baseball, per MLB pipeline, before he was called up by the Rays in 2021.
https://twitter.com/shakebxn/status/1691036411120488448
You know what these allegations are capable of doing to Wander Franco’s career if it comes out that there is an iota of truth in there. These are serious allegations that could hurt Franco’s career and his emotions as well, I hope he comes out of these allegations clean.
Franco is being compared to Karl Malone, who famously got a 13-year-old girl pregnant when he was in his 20s and then refused to take care of the child financially when he was making millions in the NBA.
