Revs’ Joseph disputes arrest
By Kyle McCarthy (Boston Herald)
Frustration seeped into Shalrie Joseph’s voice as he recounted the tale of his recent arrest.
It is a story that Joseph believes has gone largely untold, though police documents have provided some details regarding the incident.
Joseph and Revolution teammate Kevin Alston were both evicted from the team hotel in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 20 after police officers responded to a complaint about a room party attended by the two players in the early hours of that Sunday morning, according to reports and trespass warrants issued by the Orlando police department. After Joseph failed to leave the premises in a timely manner and milled around in a hotel stairway, he was arrested for trespassing, according to the police report.
In contrast to the official version of events, Joseph said his actions should not have led to his arrest.
“The situation is that I didn’t do anything,” Joseph said. “Somebody yelled at me in a voice that I didn’t like, the way I was being talked to. He was kind of talking down to me and he was being very racist. I talked back to him and we got into a yelling match. I ended up on the wrong side of it.”
The incident prompted the Revolution to ship Joseph and Alston back to the Boston area for disciplinary reasons, but the team’s response to the situation did not satisfy Joseph. Instead of asking both players for their take on events, Joseph said the Revolution technical staff acted without consulting him about the punitive measure or establishing lines of communication.
“We should have had a dialogue from Day 1 with the Revolution coaches, the staff and everything,” Joseph said. “That should have been the first process before I even got sent home. Then we could take it from there with whatever punishment they need (to give me) for my behavior, then fine, I’ll take it. But they never actually asked me what happened and they punished Kevin for something he didn’t even do. It’s not something I really approve of.”
Joseph also noted that while he should have returned to his room after going out for dinner and drinks with training slated for the next morning, there was no curfew issued for the evening.
Revolution vice president of player personnel Michael Burns declined to comment given the ongoing league investigation into the matter. Alston did not respond to a request for comment.
Joseph returned to the practice field yesterday as he and his teammates completed the first of three sessions in Foxboro before heading off to Kennesaw, Ga., for the next stage of training camp Thursday, but he awaits news about potential league discipline regarding the incident.
MLS commissioner Don Garber — or a designee of his choice — holds jurisdiction over potential disciplinary actions for off-the-field incidents. The league is in the second stage of a four-step review process as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement. League officials must speak with the involved players as part of the process, and Joseph said he expects to discuss the situation with MLS officials in the next day or two as Garber contemplates possible sanctions.
“I just want them to hear my side of the story,” Joseph said. “I don’t think I can get punished for what I did. I acted appropriately in terms of the situation I was in. That’s what I’m going to tell them. Hopefully, it goes my way.”
