Rehab: Darryl Broke House Rules

Darryl Strawberry was kicked out of a drug-treatment center and sent to jail for repeatedly breaking program rules, including a ban on sex between residents, according to court documents released Wednesday.

The former baseball star had many behavior problems at Phoenix House near Ocala, a state Corrections Department report said. Strawberry told his probation officer Tuesday he had sex with a female resident three days earlier.

Strawberry was transferred to Marion County Jail on Tuesday, his 40th birthday. Dressed in an orange and white jail uniform, Strawberry appeared briefly before a judge Wednesday to be advised of the charge against him.

Strawberry will be returned to Tampa to face Judge Florence Foster, who repeatedly has ordered him to undergo drug treatment rather than send him to prison for violating probation.

Strawberry's wife, Charisse, said Wednesday she did not feel comfortable discussing the situation.

"I have three very young children who are my focus right now," she said in a statement. "Unfortunately this is part of the devastation of the disease of alcoholism and addiction."

Strawberry could face up to 18 months in prison under a sentence imposed last year and then suspended pending completion of the drug program.

Probation officers said they were encouraged Strawberry hasn't tested positive for drug use since being sent to Phoenix House 10 months ago. They did not make a recommendation to Foster on Strawberry's punishment.

Prosecutors maintain Strawberry needs to be in a more secure facility, or at least one where there are no women.

Strawberry was on probation for a 1999 arrest in Tampa on drug and prostitution charges. He already has violated probation five times.

According to the report to Foster, Strawberry has had trouble following the strict rules of the treatment center since October. He was sent to Phoenix House in May after disappearing from a Tampa treatment center for a four-day, cross-state drug binge.

Among the long list of violations, probation officers said Strawberry has been caught smoking, exchanging baseballs for cigarettes, autographing baseball cards and clothing and giving money to other residents.

Strawberry was placed on a "behavior contract" in which he agreed to stop those activities and refrain from making threats to residents and staff. The report did not detail the threats.

The report said Strawberry's behavior worsened in December, including an argument with a counselor the day after Christmas when Strawberry used profanity. It happened at a session in which residents were encouraged to share their feeling about the holidays.

Strawberry also was cited for kissing a female resident, not taking medications properly and being caught smoking behind the dormitories.

Strawberry won World Series titles with the New York Mets in 1986 and the Yankees in 1996 and 1999. Along with drug problems, he has been treated for colon and stomach cancer. Recent tests showed no signs of the disease.

Last month, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said he would give Strawberry a player-development job with the team after he was released.

"The Yankees have long been supportive of Darryl Strawberry, and I'm sure we all regret that things have not worked out the way we would have hoped," Steinbrenner said in a statement Tuesday. "However, at this point, it is up to Darryl. He must stand up and be personally accountable."