All Episodes

September 30, 2025 4 mins
Dan Riley discusses the Wander Franco case and how it has brought unwanted attention to both Franco and the Tampa Bay Rays. The team now faces difficult questions about player evaluation, mental health support, and managing the publicity surrounding this situation.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daniel-riley-sports-talk-radio--4211915/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Dan Riley for Sports Talk Compassionate World Internet Radio.
According to reports, Tampa Bay Raised shortstop Wander Franco has
been admitted to a mental health facility after being convicted
of sexually abusing a minor earlier this year. The clinic

(00:23):
is in the Dominican Republic. According to reports, police say
the request have him detained came from his family. Of course,
to say this case is disturbing is far too tried. Nowadays,
pro and college sports teams have psychologists employed by them.

(00:46):
They want to go know what's going on in players'
heads and understandably so, whatever information the Tampa Bay Rays
had on wander Franco could have stopped them from signing
this guy. Now, this isn't to say that every person

(01:09):
dealing with a mental health disorder is a criminal. They
are not, but it leaves you to wonder if it
played a role in this case. It's inconceivable the Rays
could have put themselves in this position. In fact, it's outrageous.

(01:33):
As responsible for his behavior as wonder Franco is, teams
have to understand that sometimes a player they want to
sign could have a bad effect on the community around him.
Aaron Hernandez was an example about that of that. But

(01:59):
then again, perhaps the Rays didn't care. After all, the
Patriots did decide to draft Hernandez. Teams in sports are
desperate to win, granted, but this is inexcusable. If a
player has one of those rare disorders mental disorders that

(02:23):
could make him dangerous to the public, they have to
reconsider signing or drafting him. And as I mentioned, not
all mental health disorders are going to make you a
threat to the public. But guys like Wander Franco look

(02:45):
much like Aaron Hernandez, are a menace to the cities
they play in, regardless of their mental state. If they
have a history of violence, then you have to consider
that they shouldn't be in your community. I would love

(03:17):
to know what the Tampa Bay Rays knew and when
they knew it. Of course, they aren't gonna want that
information public, even though this puts them in a very
bad light. From a pr standpoint, if a player is

(03:44):
a threat to himself or his community, you need to
reconsider signing him. Because a situation like a baseball team
signing a man like Walter Franco isn't a game, it's

(04:05):
a public safety nightmare waiting to happen. This is Jan
Riley for Sports Talk. Thanks for tuning in and so
long
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.