Ex-Rangers Star Josh Hamilton Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Restraint

Former Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful restraint, a Class A misdemeanor.

Author:
Chris Halicke
Feb 22, 2022 5:47 PM EST

Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Josh Hamilton pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful restraint, a Class A misdemeanor.

In April 2020, Hamilton was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury on one count of injury to a child with intentional bodily injury—a third-degree felony charge. The indictment stems from an incident in September 2019 when Hamilton allegedly abused one of his daughters.

Hamilton was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in August 2019. The alleged incident occurred just days after Hamilton made an appearance with other Rangers greats after the team's final game at Globe Life Park. At the time, Hamilton and his ex-wife, Katie, shared custody of his three daughters.

According to CBS DFW, Hamilton turned himself in October 2019 to Keller police, pleading not guilty to the charge. He was released on a $35,000 bond. One of the conditions of his bond stated he could not have contact with one of his daughters, which was later expanded to any child under the age of 17.

As part of his plea agreement, Hamilton will pay his court costs and a $500 fine, attend anger control counseling and parenting classes, and do community service.

Hamilton's Rangers career spanned two separate stints with the team, highlighted by a five-year run from 2008-2012. He was named an All-Star each of those five seasons and won both the American League's Most Valuable Player award and the ALCS MVP in 2010. Hamilton also helped lead the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010-11.

Hamilton signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2012 season. After two sub-par seasons and a drug and alcohol relapse, the Angels released Hamilton and he subsequently reunited with the Rangers in 2015. Hamilton played 50 games for the Rangers that season, helping them win the AL West.

Hamilton's career is laden with off-the-field issues, most notably his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. He was drafted first overall in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Rays, but was suspended from baseball for substance abuse before he could even make his Major League debut. After his rise to superstardom in 2008, Hamilton went through multiple relapses, both as a Ranger and as an Angel.

Hamilton has previously claimed he's maintained his sobriety since retiring from baseball. Last August, he wrote about his struggles in The Players' Tribune.

"...maybe in some cases I was a little too honest, or said too much," Hamilton said. "But at the end of the day, I hope that people saw me as just … a real person, a human being, with his struggles and his challenges like everyone else."

He also mentioned the importance of being with his daughters, saying "...my girls need me more than I need baseball."