Toronto Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire was arrested back in February for masturbating in public, and footage from the incident that was released this week shows the uncomfortable conversation he had with police about it.
The footage, which was blacked out due to a technical issue and features mostly just audio, was obtained by TMZ. McGuire was immediately apologetic after an officer informed him that multiple people had called to report that he had his pants down in his car and was pleasuring himself. The 25-year-old said he thought no one was around him at the strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. McGuire explained that he came to the parking lot because he was staying in a small studio apartment with other people at the time.
“I’m not sure what goes on from here, but I realize I’ve made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing,” McGuire told the officer. “If there’s any way I can really learn from it … hopefully no one was harmed. I really am apologetic and I know I shouldn’t have been doing this.”
McGuire, who was handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser, essentially asked police at one point if there’s any chance of him avoiding charges. The officer explained that McGuire was in a public place and people saw him, which is why he was charged with first degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs. He later reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a second degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. His punishment was only fines and court fees.
McGuire did not face disciplinary action from Major League Baseball. He’s appeared in four games for the Blue Jays since the season began and is hitting .222 with a homer and an RBI.
We’ve seen professional athletes arrested for a variety of embarrassing reasons over the years, but McGuire’s incident is certainly among the most humiliating.
