Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton had his second known alcohol-related relapse in a little more than three years earlier this week, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. No details of what led to Hamilton's consumption of alcohol have been revealed.
In a statement, the Rangers addressed the report about the 31-year-old former AL MVP, indicating that they are "aware of a situation but have no further comment at this time."
Hamilton had another relapse that became public knowledge in 2009 when he drank at a bar in Tempe, Ariz. Pictures and accounts of that night landed on Deadspin. Shortly after the incident, Hamilton publicly addressed his relapse and apologized to his family and Major League Baseball. Soon after, he passed a drug test and went through league-sanctioned counseling.
Despite being the first overall pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton didn't make his big league debut until 2007 for Cincinnati after his struggles with drug and alcohol led to a suspension that lasted for more than three years when he was with the Rays.
UPDATE 11:28 p.m. Jay Gormley of CBS11 reports that Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was at a pub with Hamilton when he had his relapse. However, ESPN Radio host Ian Fitzsimmons strongly refuted the CBS report, tweeting that the presence of a teammate is a rumor. Fitzsimmons also tweets that photographs from the night will surface just like the 2009 incident.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Kinsler did in fact show up at the bar, allegedly to persuade his teammate to go back to his home in Westlake.
UPDATE 2/3 11:20 a.m.: Josh Hamilton's wife, Katie, tweeted about her husband's situation Friday morning.
UPDATE 2/3 12:23 p.m.: Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest reports that Hamilton will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) to address the reported relapse.
UPDATE 2/3 3:23 p.m.: Hamilton confirmed that he had a relapse at a press conference. He informed reporters on Kinsler's role in the incident. Click here for the entire transcript.
"But I walked to a restaurant to have some dinner, and did just that, had dinner and ended up ordering a drink and probably had three or four drinks. I ended up calling Ian [Kinsler] just to come hang out with me. Ian did not know I had been drinking. Once I do drink, I can be very deceptive, very sneaky in a lot of ways, so while he was there I did not drink in front of him.
[After the restaurant closed], we go across the street to another place that stayed open. We're talking baseball, talking life, how are families were, all these things, stay 25-30 minutes. He [Kinsler] has to go home, and drives me back where I need to be, quarter-mile away. His words were, 'I'll see you later. You're not going to go back out, are you?' I said, 'No, I am in. I am good.' I did exactly what I told him I wouldn't do. I went back to the place we had just left and had some more drinks."