Dunlap: Pittsburgh Pirates Not Aware Of Kang's Prior DUIs
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang was arrested last week in his native South Korea on suspicion of driving under the influence.
By now you have probably seen the dashboard video.
You have probably seen the line of traffic he would have barreled into if not for a well-placed traffic island that halted his car and a sure-fire accident.
You have probably seen the photos of the aftermath --- his pricey BMW sedan, with the bottom ripped apart and resting in a parking garage.
You have probably formulated your own opinion about the irresponsibility of that night last week and how, in a way, Kang and a bunch of other people on that patch of Seoul road were lucky.
It could have been worse.
Man, was it a bad decision.
What we didn't know until early Monday morning, however, is it wasn't the first time Kang has been pinched for DUI.
Or the second.
No, according to Yonhap News Agency in Korea, the alleged DUI last week complements ones he got in August 2009 and May 2011. According to the report, there was no personal injury in either one of those but property damage in the more recent one.
So here is the real crux of the matter now …
We are dealing with one of two things, and really it could have only been one of two things:
1. When the Pirates vetted Kang, the investigation and background processes failed to turn up the fact that he had previous run-ins with the law --- and specifically DUI charges in Korea. One would think a man the organization was set to give $11 million on a four-year contract in January of 2015 would have been the subject --- even living in Korea --- of a diligent background check done by Pirates officials.
OR
2. The Pirates checked up on Kang's background, found the DUI charges from the past but were satisfied he had rehabilitated himself adequately.
In my estimation, the situation with Kang's previous DUI charges come down to one of those two situations and only one of those two situations.
Well here's your answer: The Pirates were unaware of Kang's previous DUIs.
"We had not been aware of Jung Ho's previous DUI charges," wrote Pirates spokesman Brian Warecki on Monday afternoon in a text. "Our immediate focus is on helping Jung Ho and are working with the medical professionals at MLB and the MLBPA to accomplish that."
Interesting, very interesting.
Should the Pirates' vetting process be called into question? Some will say absolutely, positively.
And you know what, I agree with them.
What we have now --- with this third DUI --- is something of a trend with Jung Ho Kang. There is a definite trust issue with him. Come to think of it, there were drinking and driving issues with him before he signed that deal and the organization should be questioned for not knowing as much.