Arizona Diamondbacks president talks about Mark Grace arrest
Aug 27, 2012, 8:43 PM | Updated: Aug 28, 2012, 7:32 am
PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks say they don’t know when Mark Grace will return to the broadcast booth.
Grace was placed on a leave of absence last week after he was arrested a second time on a DUI charge.
Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said he learned of the arrest from Grace himself.
“Mark called me the night after, unfortunately, he was pulled over,” Hall said. “He had actually asked for some time off for some personal help, and I’m glad he did. It was a situation where we probably would have had taken action, maybe an indefinite suspension, until we see how the process plays out legally.”
Hall said that Grace regrets his actions that led to this unfortunate incident.
“Nobody feels worse than he does,” Hall said. “I’m just glad that everybody was safe, himself included, others included. We’ll just see how it plays out now after this.”
Hall said that with just 33 games remaining in the regular season, it’s possible that Grace may not return to the broadcasts this year.
Meanwhile, TV play-by-play voice Darron Sutton is still suspended.
“It remains the same, an indefinite suspension there,” Hall said.
When asked why Sutton was suspended, Hall said “It’s a personnel issue, and, because of that, we really can’t discuss it publicly. It wouldn’t be fair to him, and wouldn’t be fair to us.”
Hall said that he hopes Diamondback fans understand why the team has decided not to reveal why Sutton was suspended.
He said that Greg Schulte on television and Jeff Munn on Arizona Sports 620 have stepped up to the plate and done a great job amidst the broadcast booth turmoil.
