Contrary to Friday's report, Hanley Ramirez is not and never was under federal and state investigation. According to the Boston Globe, a friend of Ramirez dropped his name in an attempt to avoid an arrest.
Here are the details from The Globe's report:
The man claimed that the box contained books, and that Ramirez’s mother “had shipped the box to him in New York to hand-deliver to his friend (Ramirez) in Boston,” according to the affidavit.
In an attempt to back up his story, the man called Ramirez via FaceTime on his cell phone, then handed it to the trooper. The trooper asked Ramirez if he was aware that his friend was en route to visit him and was delivering a box from his mother. Ramirez said he “was not aware,” according to the affidavit. The trooper asked if he could open the box and Ramirez agreed.
The box contained a gift bag, with two kilograms of fentanyl inside, the affidavit says.
The man was arrested on drug trafficking charges and “immediately began stating that his friend (Ramirez) was not involved at all, and that the box wasn’t for him,” the affidavit says.
The man’s attorney, who asked that he not be named because of concerns it would help identify his client, said “his use of Mr. Ramirez’s name was an ill-thought-out attempt to evade further police scrutiny.”
Alex Cora and the Red Sox were adamant when Friday's report by ABC's Michelle McPhee came out that they were unaware of any investigation involving Ramirez.
Ramirez's agent, Adam Katz, released a statement on the matter per USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale: