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Animal welfare groups are calling for action against several professional athletes for alleged involvement in illegal cockfighting.The athletes include Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz and top horse racing jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr.Social media photos and videos reportedly show the athletes at cockfighting events in Puerto Rico, where the practice is illegal under a federal ban.Advocacy organizations have urged Major League Baseball and horse racing authorities to investigate and suspend the individuals involved.Animal welfare groups are calling for action against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz and top horse racing jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. for their involvement in illegal cockfighting detailed in a story by USA TODAY Sports.Photos and video found on social media showed the athletes in the pit at cockfighting arenas in Puerto Rico and on social media posts promoting cockfights. Diaz, who is a three-time MLB All Star, and the Ortiz brothers, who finished 1-2 in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, all are from Puerto Rico.A federal ban prohibits cockfighting in all 50 states and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico.The Ortiz brothers are scheduled to ride in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 16. Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, said they should be banned from the race."Horse racing must stop operating in a vacuum – its players aren’t above federal law," Guillermo said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports. "Right now, Irad Ortiz and Jose Ortiz should be banned from tomorrow’s Preakness day races. All the states that license the Ortiz brothers should immediately suspend the jockeys' licenses and launch serious investigations into their involvement in cockfighting."Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy issued a press release May 15 calling on horse racing authorities and federal prosecutors to take immediate action Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, Jr."Cockfighting is a sadistic and cruel practice that inflicts slash wounds and stabbing injuries for the thrill of bloodletting and illegal gambling, and along with dogfighting, is the most severely and widely criminalized form of animal cruelty," Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said, according to the press release. “Participation in such conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities expected of licensed jockeys and other racing professionals who have animal-care responsibilities.”Irad Ortiz rode winning horse Bold Fact on a May 15 precursor to the Preakness at Laurel Park, after which another horse, 3-year-old colt Hit Zero, died of an apparent cardiac event, according to reports.Leighann Lassiter, animal cruelty policy program director for Humane World for Animals, told USA TODAY Sports that despite the longstanding federal ban, "cockfighting remains a huge problem" in the U.S., with California being one of the largest suppliers of birds for international cockfighting."Public figures and athletes are role models for many people – the entities they represent have an imperative to hold them to a high standard amid allegations of animal fighting or any form of cruelty."'Take appropriate disciplinary action'Pacelle sent letters to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and the CEO of of Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), which regulates U.S. thoroughbred racing, urging them to investigate and "take appropriate disciplinary action," according to copies of the letters obtained by USA TODAY Sports.Steve Hindi, president of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, said of the athletes, "If they are involved in this animal abusive criminal activity that also involves drugs, weapons, human trafficking, and every other kind of vile criminal conduct, why in God's name would you not unceremoniously boot (them) out?"Chris DeRose, founder and president of Last Chance for Animals, said the allegations involving Diaz "are deeply disturbing and deserve a full and immediate investigation by Major League Baseball.""If these allegations are substantiated," DeRose continued in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports, "MLB must levy punishment consistent with its player conduct policies and make clear that involvement in illegal animal fighting has no place in professional sports."MLB declined comment on the social media posts involving Diaz when reached by USA TODAY Sports.DeRose, whose organization is dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation, said the reports implicating the Ortiz brothers, among horse racing's top jockeys, are "equally troubling.''"The U.S. Department of Justice and all relevant federal and territorial law enforcement agencies must aggressively enforce the law and hold everyone involved accountable, regardless of celebrity status or athletic accomplishment," DeRose said. "No athlete, no league, and no cultural defense should place anyone above the law when animals are being tortured for entertainment."Friends of Animals, a nonprofit animal advocacy organization, provided USA TODAY Sports a statement saying, “Friends of Animals hopes that those involved in Major League Baseball, supposedly 'America's pastime,' uses ethics clauses, also known as morals clauses, in player contracts and that the powers that be would suspend or terminate contracts if an athlete engages in animal cruelty rather than condone it."Photos and published articles linked to cockfighting not only Edwin Diaz but also his younger brother, Alexis. Alexis Diaz is a pitcher who spent four years with the Cincinnati Reds and now is pitching in the minor leagues for the Round Rock Express in Texas.The athletes did not respond to multiple requests USA TODAY Sports made to talk to them or get comment.
