A drunk gambler living overseas was behind death threats sent to the family of Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
The Houston Police Department would not identify the suspect or his location but added no charges had been filed.
ESPN reported the man in question admitted he had been using sports betting apps to wager on an Astros game and lost money when he sent threats to McCullers on social media.
He later apologized to McCullers and his family through the police department and the case remains open while charges are considered.
The online gambling world has become a staple in the game in recent times, especially as MLB players continue to sue DraftKings for using players’ identities without permission on its sportsbook and social media.
Intoxicated Gambler Threatened To Murder McCullers’ Children
In a direct message sent to McCullers on social media, the intoxicated bettor threatened to find his kids and murder them after Houston’s game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10.
The 31-year-old pitcher was playing in his second game after nearly 2½ years off the field due to arm surgery and McCullers gave up seven runs in the first inning, which he will admit himself wasn’t his finest hour.
“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” McCullers said.
The team hired 24-hour security for McCullers and his family following the incident. His five-year-old daughter heard her mother Kara talking about the threats over the phone and questioned why someone wanted to hurt her.
Red Sox Reliever Liam Hendriks Also Received Threats Against His Life
McCullers isn’t the only player to have received death threats recently with Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks revealing he and his wife were targeted with the same abuse.
Hendriks missed almost two years battling non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Some of his social media comments from online casino users suggested he commit suicide and wished he had died from his cancer.
This is presenting a new threat to baseball and even more MLB players such as the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich have spoken out about the increased abuse since US sports betting was legalized.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
