By: Andy Slater
“What if somebody gave him a Mickey and three boys died?”
Jose Fernandez’s family attorney and friend, Ralph Fernandez, appeared on my show Tuesday and he held nothing back.
Fernandez (no relation) repeatedly said that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez had no business releasing the toxicology report that showed that the pitcher had cocaine in his system and a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit at the time of his death.
Fernandez said that he had “reached agreements about disclosure” and the release of the toxicology report has led people to “wrong conclusions” about the boat crash on Sept. 25 that killed Jose Fernandez and two other men.
Fernandez said that for the 24-year-old pitcher, cocaine was “totally out of character.”
The attorney said multiple times that Jose may have been given the drugs involuntarily: “I’m not suggesting that this is what they’re investigating, although I know exactly what they’re investigating. But what if you find that in fact that somebody Mickey’d these guys? What if you find that out and there’s missing monies involved? And there’s an ongoing major investigation in progress.”
The slang term "mickey" is used when someone unknowingly puts a drug in your drink.
Again, Fernandez would not explicitly say that Jose Fernandez had been drugged, but he did suggest it multiple times.
The attorney did say: “I can tell you that there’s not a shred of evidence that he voluntarily ingested that cocaine.”
The Marlins pitcher, according to his family attorney, was tested by the team for performance enhancing drugs, just two days before his death.
Fernandez argued that the release of the toxicology report “jeopardizes the exoneration process.”
Fernandez spoke at Jose Fernandez’s funeral. He said that he and the pitcher texted every day for the last five years.
Miami-Dade County commisioners voted to name a street after Jose Fernandez on Tuesday.
His attorney said that’s not enough, “they should name an expressway after him.”
Fernandez said that Jose was born to play in Miami and intended to retire in Miami.
Jose’s attorney felt that of the toxicology reports, you “cannot unring this bell.”
Still, he expressed confidence that the investigation into the crash would reveal a much different story.
Here is the full interview:
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(Photo: Sun-Sentinel)