Former MLB OF Josh Hamilton Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor in Child Abuse Case | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Former MLB outfielder Josh Hamilton pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of unlawful restraint, a misdemeanor, in connection with allegations of child abuse made by his daughter in 2019.

Hamilton was initially charged in 2020 with felony injury to a child after his 14-year-old daughter said he physically assaulted her. According to the Associated Press' Terry Wallace, the girl told her mother Hamilton struck her with a water bottle, threw a chair and then carried her to her room where he "pressed her face onto the mattress and began hitting her legs with an open hand and closed fist."

As part of the plea deal, Hamilton will have to pay a $500 fine and attend anger control counseling and parenting classes. He will also have community service requirements. 

“My mom has taught me to forgive and how to love well, set boundaries, and pray for those who hurt us, but it isn’t always easy. I hope for all of our sakes he gets the help he needs," Hamilton's daughter said in a statement.

Hamilton, 40, has an extensive history of drug and alcohol misuse that partially derailed his baseball career. He was suspended for the entirety of the 2004 season after multiple failed drug tests, placed on the restricted list by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005 after he was arrested for an alcohol-related misdemeanor and suspended again by MLB in 2006.