Baseball Writer Jonah Keri Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Domestic Violence

Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at https://www.thehotline.org/

Baseball journalist Jonah Keri, who previously contributed to Sports Illustrated, Grantland and The Athletic, was sentenced to 21 months in prison Wednesday for repeated incidences of domestic assault of his ex-wife.

The 47-year-old admitted to committing 14 incidences of violence against his ex-wife between July 5, 2018, and January 27, 2019.

“During these incidents the offender punched the victim in the knees, hit her on the head and on her ears, pushed her, dragged her on the ground, slapped her, bit her, spat in her face, head-butted her, shook her, pulled her hair and grabbed her by the shoulders while threatening to throw her off a balcony. During one incident, he threw various objects at her. During another, he took a knife and threatened to remove the baby she was carrying in her womb,” Quebec Court Judge Alexandre Dalmau said on Wednesday.

Shortly after his arrest in 2019, Keri underwent a two-month psychiatric treatment program. After the program ended, he attended weekly sessions from December ’19 through June ’20.

“The repetitive nature of the violent acts is an aggravating circumstance. This is not a case involving an isolated act, but rather recurrent conduct by the offender over a long period. This observation must absolutely be taken into consideration in sentencing. The court is therefore in the delicate situation where the appropriate balance must be struck between the objectives of denunciation and deterrence and those related to the rehabilitation of the offender,” Dalmau continued.

Keri will remain in prison until early 2024.