March 26--Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart deleted his official Twitter account Tuesday, but not before gambling-related tweets he purportedly sent made him the subject of a Major League Baseball investigation.
"Obviously, I was caught off guard by the whole situation," Cosart told reporters Thursday at the Marlins' complex in Jupiter, Fla. "All I'm really saying to everyone is, I'm following the MLB protocol and just talking with MLB security, and they are taking care of the rest."
MLB chief communications officer, Pat Courtney, confirmed to the Miami New Times that the league was looking into allegations that Cosart sent direct messages to an associate via Twitter looking for gambling advice.
The New Times published a screen shot of those tweets, which appear to be from Cosart's Twitter account before it was deleted.
MLB players are not permitted to bet on baseball games. Legal gambling on other sports, however, is not against the rules. A player who is caught betting on a game he has no connection with faces a one-year suspension; a player caught betting on a game involving his own team is permanently banned.
Cosart has been scratched from a scheduled start Friday due to a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
"We're fully aware of the investigation," the Marlins' president of baseball operations, Michael Hill, said. "We are cooperating with Major League Baseball, and until it comes to a conclusion, we'll have no further comment."
