Former Astros GM Suing Team Saying He Was the Scapegoat for Cheating Scandal
Baseball season ended a few weeks ago, but the Astros cheating scandal is never ending.
In case you do not know about the Astros cheating scandal, they were busted stealing signs using electronic devices during their 2017 World Series run and into the 2018 season. The Astros used a camera positioned in center field to steal signs during games. Team personnel would watch the feed in a hallway between the clubhouse and dugout, and would relay what was coming to the hitter by hitting a garbage can.
Also rumors existed that the Astros wore electronic buzzers under their jerseys to signify certain pitches. That rumor never had enough evidence to convict anyone in the Astros, but the trash can was 100% proven. You can check out some of the evidence of this cheating above, the first part of the video is where people believe you can see the alleged buzzer and why Altuve doesn't want his shirt ripped off.
So what were the Astros handed for cheating? Houston was fined $5 million and lost first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were handed one-year suspensions. Pretty light sentence and I think a lot of people would agree. The Astros would go onto fire Hinch and Lehnow shortly after this punishment was announced.
Jeff Luhnow is popping back into the news this week because he has just filed a lawsuit against the Houston Astros. He is claiming they made him a scapegoat in the investigation. He has stated his innocence in this scandal and saying that no one in the front office was aware that this was going on. He is claiming that the Astros fired him so they would not have to pay him 22 million in salary.
Only one person claims Luhnow knew of the cheating scandal and this lawsuit is aiming to prove that the person only said Luhnow's name to save their own job. We will see if this goes anywhere but Luhnow's lawyers are asking for over one million dollars in their lawsuit.