Mike Trout responds to Tommy Pham’s fantasy football criticism
July 30, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) following the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Trout has been pulled into the fantasy football dispute between Tommy Pham and Joc Pederson, but for now he is taking a diplomatic approach to questions raised about his role.
Trout is the commissioner of the fantasy football league that sparked a heated dispute between Pham and Pederson. On Tuesday, Pham threw Trout under the bus, calling the Angels star “the worst commissioner in fantasy sports” for failing to solve Pederson’s alleged cheating.
Naturally, Trout was asked about his role in the fantasy football scandal, but he took a relaxed approach on Wednesday. He would not commit to resigning as commissioner of the league for 2022, and refused to say whether or not Pederson broke any rules.
Mike Trout declined to comment on whether Joc Pederson violated the rules of the fantasy league. He said he is unsure if he’ll resign as commissioner for this coming season. “Every commissioner I know gets booed,” he said.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) June 1, 2022
Pham accused Pederson of cheating by stashing a player who was out for the week on his injured list. Though the practice is allowed by ESPN’s standard rules, Pham argued that their league had separate rules that did not allow the practice. Pederson said that plenty of participants in the league had been using their injured list in that way, including Pham.
As a neutral arbiter, Trout could have really shed some light on what happened. If he is determined to take the high road here, we may never know the whole truth. Perhaps MLB fans can do more detective work instead.
