If Backman were now still a .320-hitting infielder on a championship baseball team, none of this would cost him a job. Many athletes have faced domestic abuse investigations, including Darryl Strawberry, Warren Moon, Barry Bonds, John Daly, Albert Belle and, yes, that master of vices, Mike Tyson. They've played on. Around here, we've seen Kidd rebound from his own domestic dispute, with the help of Joumana's patience and forgiveness.
It's rarer for managers and coaches to survive such incidents with their jobs and reputations intact. There are exceptions. Back in 1995, Bobby Cox of the Braves was charged with domestic violence. He is still viewed, somehow, as an exemplary manager. Iowa State found a way to keep its football coach, Dan McCarney, after he admitted to domestic abuse.
Most often, though, managers are supposed to be models of comportment, moral beacons. They are supposed to be Joe Torre- not Tyson, not a wife-beater.
Backman is no longer a star, and the Diamondbacks were certainly not going to begin a new adventure with a tainted dugout leader. He isn't Amazin' anymore, and Backman hadn't signed the contract before word got out.
