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The story
On October 1, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp announced it would not renew contracts for next season with four players — Kaito Kozono, Masaya Yano, Shunsuke Tamura, and Seita Maekawa — who had been suspected of involvement in a scandal involving the designated drug etomidate (known as “zombie tobacco”). Kozono’s attitude during media interviews right after the release drew criticism online as “defiant,” and on the forum thread, teams like the Yomiuri Giants and SoftBank Hawks were floated as possible next destinations. At the same time, some called the move “a betrayal of the Carp,” while others brought up past cases involving Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Hotaka Yamakawa, debating whether signing him would be appropriate and how “tolerant” different teams are.
《He seems totally unapologetic》 Hiroshima’s Kaito Kozono draws controversy over his demeanor right after his contract was terminated… two “tolerant” teams floated as possible next destinations
The verdict has finally come down. On October 1, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s pro baseball league announced it would not sign four players — Kaito Kozono, Masaya Yano, Shunsuke Tamura, and Seita Maekawa — to contracts for next season, after they were suspected of involvement in a scandal surrounding the designated drug etomidate, known as “zombie tobacco.”
His “attitude” during the media interview sparks controversy
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Figured as much lol
If their infield situation were desperate enough to sign a guy like this, they wouldn't have let Mimori go two years ago.
Whatever happened to sportsmanship and being a gentleman?
Then again, I never thought baseball — a sport where guys casually throw punches in brawls — had any of that to begin with.
It'd be a lucky transfer for them, and the Carp locker room would end up filled with zombie-tobacco smoke.
I mean, their manager once paid a yakuza guy 100 million yen.
If he's willing to start from the bottom and grind it out, they'd probably take him.
It'd tank their corporate image.
Yomiuri, Rakuten, SoftBank — none of them would even blink over signing Kozono.
as a team that puts winning above everything else.
If it strengthens the roster,
they'll bend the compliance rules a bit.
It's the Tigers lol
I'd laugh if the Tigers signed him and gave him uniform number 6.
Moving him to the outfield and letting him focus would probably help his batting improve.
Don't get so worked up about it. (reference to Hotaka Yamakawa's past scandal)
Huh, wait?
He himself says he has nothing to do with the zombie tobacco or any antisocial groups, so why's he being let go?
Why doesn't he sue the Carp?
It's not fair to call him attitude-bad one-sidedly without even hearing him out.
Sure, you can say whatever you want — but do you actually have something to say?
Rakuten cares about its image, so they probably won't sign him.
Yomiuri and SoftBank's corporate images are already shot, so they probably won't care.
They've had one headache after another with guys like Anraku, Tanaka, Shimauchi, and Tatsumi…
and they recently cut a promising young prospect without hesitation, so Rakuten's pretty much out of the question.
Background and key points of this discussion
“Zombie tobacco” refers to e-cigarettes laced with the designated drug etomidate, so named because smoking it temporarily stiffens the body and induces a near-unconscious state. The substance is normally used as an anesthetic, and in recent years its abuse has spread among young people, becoming a social problem. In this case, four Hiroshima Carp players were suspected of involvement, and the team drew a line under the matter by declining to renew their contracts for next season — a “contract termination.” Unlike an NPB-wide ban or a suspension, contract termination doesn’t prevent other teams from signing the players as free agents under league rules, which is why names like the Giants and SoftBank — teams that tend to prioritize financial muscle and headline value — came up in the thread. What tends to get overlooked, though, is that the case could still be referred to prosecutors, meaning teams may not necessarily move quickly. Commenters also pointed to past cases involving Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Hotaka Yamakawa, noting there’s precedent for players quietly returning to the game after scandals blow over, making the lack of consistency in how pro baseball handles drug-related and other scandals a key point of debate.
*This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Baseball] 《He seems totally unapologetic》 Hiroshima’s Kaito Kozono draws controversy over his demeanor right after his contract was terminated… two tolerant teams floated as possible next destinations.”
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