TAMPA, Fla. - Dwight Gooden has found trouble again, this time for allegedly punching a woman in the face, jeopardizing his job as a Yankees special assistant.
The former Mets and Yankees pitcher, 40, was arrested early yesterday morning on a domestic violence battery charge that stemmed from a disagreement with Monique Moore, who is the mother of his baby, according to a Tampa police spokeswoman.
Gooden spent last night at Orient Road Jail and will face a Hillsborough County judge this morning to set bond, a spokesman for the Hillsborough sheriff's office said.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who banned Gooden from Yankees premises for five months after his February 2002 arrest for drunken driving, declined to comment last night. "He's gathering the facts, and until he knows what happened, he has nothing to say," said Steinbrenner's publicist, Howard Rubenstein.
Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said it was unclear what started the argument at the Harbour Island apartment late Saturday. McElroy said it escalated when Moore threw a telephone handset at Gooden, who then punched her in the face.
When police responded to Moore's 911 call, her face was bruised but she declined to be treated, McElroy said. Gooden was arrested at 12:44 a.m. and entered jail at 1:51.
Florida law states that anyone who is arrested on a domestic violence charge must stay overnight before facing a judge to have bond set, a spokesman for the sheriff's office said. Because Gooden was arrested after midnight Sunday, he stayed in jail all day.
Gooden, who has worked in various roles for the Yankees since his retirement in 2001, has been as visible as ever at Legends Field this spring training. Gooden is in uniform for home games, hangs out in the clubhouse and works with the pitchers on the side field.
Steinbrenner has always had a soft spot for Gooden, who grew up in Tampa, but soured on him after his drunken driving arrest. Steinbrenner banned him from the Yankees' complex until the charges were dismissed in June 2002. Gooden spent the 2003 season as the pitching coach for Class A Tampa, then received more clout in the organization after his nephew, Gary Sheffield, signed as a free agent. Gooden currently is a special assistant, working primarily in player development for the Yankees.
After going 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA for the Mets in 1985, Gooden became the youngest player to win the Cy Young Award at 20 years old. After Gooden was suspended for the entire 1995 season because of drugs, Steinbrenner brought him to the Yankees and he pitched a no-hitter against Seattle.
Although he had the drunken driving charge dismissed, Gooden hasn't stayed away from trouble. He went through a public divorce process that displayed his money problems, was arrested in January 2003 for driving with a suspended license and was sued in August 2003 by American Express for nearly $20,000 in unpaid credit.
GOODEN'S RUN-INS
Dwight Gooden's off-field problems:
Dec. 13, 1986 - Arrested after he and four companions scuffle with Tampa, Fla., police officers at a traffic stop. Pleads no contest to battery on an officer and resisting arrest with violence. Sentenced to three years' probation.
April 1987 - Tests positive for cocaine at Mets' spring-training camp and undergoes cocaine rehabilitation for 28 days.
1992 - One of three players accused of raping a 31-year-old woman a year earlier at the home Gooden rented for spring training in 1991. The charge later is dropped.
1994 - Suspended for 60 days on June 28 after violating his drug aftercare program by failing two drug tests. It prompts him to check into the Betty Ford Center on July 22 where he stays until Aug. 14, but his drug use continues. Fails more tests after returning from the Ford Center, and baseball's executive committee suspends him on Nov. 4 for the 1995 season.
March 18, 1995 - Issued a $330 ticket by the Florida Highway Patrol for driving 117 mph on Interstate 275. Police say they found an open beer bottle in his car and a registered 9-mm. handgun in his glove compartment. Gooden passed a sobriety test and was not cited for alcohol-related offenses.
Feb. 21, 2002 - Arrested on drunken-driving charges after police officers said they spotted his car swerving on a Tampa expressway. Charges were dismissed four months later.
January 2003 - Arrested for driving with a suspended license.
August 2003 - Sued by American Express for nearly $20,000 in unpaid credit.
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