Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Mother of Addison Russell's First Child Alleges Prolonged Mistreatment
The mother of Cubs infielder Addison Russell's firstborn child posted allegations of mistreatment and failure to pay expenses for their daughter on Instagram.
Mallory Engstrom, the mother of Russell's daughter, claimed he is absent from his child's life for "months at a time" and makes Engstrom "struggle while I raise her on my own."
"I can’t even begin to understand how someone is objecting to a childcare expense knowing they have zero responsibility in physically caring for the child," Engstrom wrote, per journalist Ally Pruitt. "His team of 'advisors' feel they have the power to disobey a court ordered agreement just to save him a few bucks. It’s disgusting to know my daughter’s care and well-being isn’t a priority, the only goal is to decrease a money expense."
Engstrom also said that Russell had the Cubs block her on social media.
She went on to write that she once received a portion of a child support payment in quarters and dollar bills nearly three years ago. Engstrom also described receiving text messages critcizing her care for her child.
"I vividly remember shopping in toys r us for a Christmas gift...when I received a text message stating that my daughter smelled like 'musk' and 'dog poop' among other things as a result of my care," Engstrom wrote. "This event triggered my first anxiety attack which have only been increasing throughout the years."
Major League Baseball handed Russell a 40-game suspension in October following an investigation into domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Melissa Reidy. The league placed Russell on administrative leave on Sept. 21 after Reidy released a blog post detailing a history of emotional and physical abuse.
In June 2017, the league began its investigation after Reidy's friend levied allegations against Russell on Instagram, accusing the infielder of cheating on Reidy. He denied the allegations.
Russell has agreed to not appeal his suspension.
