Edwin Diaz implicated in cockfighting in Puerto Rico

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 19: Edwin Diaz #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the mound in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On May 14, Josh Peter of USA Today broke the story that Edwin Diaz was allegedly involved in cockfighting in his native Puerto Rico. Mr. Peter’s report named Diaz, along with his brother, former Dodgers reliever Alexis Diaz, and top horse racing jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, Jr., as participants in cockfighting in Puerto Rico.

What is cockfighting?​

Cockfighting is a blood sport involving roosters that goes back to the 17th century. Roosters would be bred for size, stamina, strength, and ferocity, and be put against each other in a ring, called the cockpit, in fights, not always, to the death. People would wager on these fights.

Per the reporting of the Associated Press, cockfighting in Puerto Rico was first officially recognized in 1770, but the practice was banned after the U.S. invaded the island in 1898. It wasn’t until 1933 that it was declared an official sport and came to be known as the “gentleman’s sport” because of its honor-based betting system.

In October 2010, Puerto Rico legislators voted in favor of a resolution to protect cockfights, stating they are an integral part of the island’s folklore and patrimony. Since 2019, cockfighting has been illegal under federal law in all U.S. states and territories, including Puerto Rico. Even with the ban, cockfighting still occurs in Puerto Rico, due to its alleged cultural significance.

The maximum penalty for participants in a cockfight is five years imprisonment and a fine, and the maximum penalty for a spectator in a cockfight is one year imprisonment and a fine.

Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the federal government in 2019, challenging the cockfighting ban. The case was upheld by lower courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case in 2021, allowing the lower decisions to stand.

The USA Today Allegations​

Mr. Peter reported that Edwin Diaz was featured in Facebook posts on February 2 and February 4 by Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico, which served as advertisements for cockfighting tournaments in his Dodgers uniform.


The first advertisement translates to: “Good morning to all the cockfighting fans who follow us. This Saturday, February 7th, we will be honoring the work of one of our members in Major League Baseball by dedicating this event to him and wishing him all the best in this new chapter. So come to our Coliseum, take a picture with Sugar, and get his autograph. We’ll be waiting for you!”


The second advertisement translates to: ‘“THIS SATURDAY, 7TH – SPECIAL EVENT The Puerto Rico Cockfighting Club invites all fans to a special event and a great tribute to one of the greatest sources of pride for our island: A homage to the Puerto Rican star and cockfighter Edwin “Sugar” Díaz. An afternoon to celebrate Puerto Rican tradition, sport, and excellence.”

Diaz’s Alleged Involvement​

As if to dispel any doubt, Mr. Peter cites a March 10 story from El Nuevo Día with a photo of Diaz standing in a cockfighting arena on his off-day from the most recent World Baseball Classic, where the Diaz family allegedly brought four roosters to fight, with the following quote:

Translated into English, the article quotes Diaz saying, “It’s a pastime I’ve followed since I was a child. It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Another quote from the same March 10 story that was not featured in the USA Today piece, which strongly implicates Edwin Diaz’s alleged involvement in cockfighting, is as follows, presented both in the original Spanish and translated English:

El también llamado deporte de “caballeros” —porque mantener la palabra en la jugada es parte esencial— tuvo un torneo de múltiples peleas el domingo, entre las que la familia Díaz presentó cuatro gallos.

Llevaron un gallo cenizo, dos búlicos y uno rubio, y lograron ganar un par de esas peleas. En total llevaron 10 gallos y pudieron “cazar” cuatro en el torneo.

Y como en cualquier deporte, sobre todo en el de los gallos, que son transportados literalmente en sacos, Díaz también experimentó victorias y derrotas.

“La única diferencia entre los gallos y el béisbol es que en la pelota no se ‘entabla’ (empata). Hay que llevar los dos sacos. En la pelota llevo los dos sacos, el de ganar y el de perder. Aquí (en los gallos) igual. Prefiero ganar que perder. Y si no, entablar. Pero siempre se busca la forma de lucir bien”, dijo Díaz…

…Y es que Díaz se siente tan querido en el coliseo como en el estadio.

“Aquí me siento seguro”, dijo Díaz, quien también firma autógrafos y posa para ‘selfies’ en el ambiente gallístico. “Puedo venir y compartir aquí con todas mis amistades. No me gusta estar mucho en la calle. La gente aquí me trata superbién. La gallera es como si fuera mi casa”.

(Emphasis added.)

—

The so-called “gentleman’s” sport — because keeping the word in the play is an essential part — had a tournament of multiple fights on Sunday, among which the Diaz family presented four roosters.

They brought an ashen rooster, two bulics and a blond rooster, and managed to win a couple of those fights. In total they took 10 roosters and were able to “hunt” four in the tournament.

And as in any sport, especially in that of roosters, which are literally transported in sacks, Díaz also experienced victories and defeats.

“The only difference between roosters and baseball is that in the ball you don’t ‘engage’ (tie). You have to carry both bags. On the ball I carry the two bags, the one to win and the one to lose. Here (in the roosters) the same. I’d rather win than lose. And if not, to engage. But you always look for a way to look good,” said Díaz…

…And it is that Díaz feels as loved in the coliseum as in the stadium.

“I feel safe here,” said Diaz, who also signs autographs and poses for selfies in the cockfighting environment. “I can come and share here with all my friends. I don’t like to be on the street a lot. People here treat me very well. The cockpit is like my home.”

(Emphasis added.)

In an update to the USA Today article, Mr. Peter’s report cites a January 2018 article by Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora, where Edwin Diaz describes when he fought five roosters at a cockfighting club in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where former, now-retired, Anaheim Angels catcher Machete Maldonado also fought eight roosters.

The USA Today article did not link to the original or provide the exact date, but the article in question, “Adrenalina fuera del diamante / Adrenaline outside the diamond,” was written by Fernando Ribas Reyes and published on January 22, 2018, and included a video of Diaz and Maldonado watching a cockfight dedicated to them. Viewer discretion is advised.


On January 17, 2018, Antolín Maldonado Ríos of Primera Hora published “Edwin ‘Sugar’ Díaz tiene otra pasión / Edwin ‘Sugar’ Díaz has another passion,” where Diaz described his passion for cockfighting.


Excerpts of the article follow below, again in both the original Spanish and translated English:

Tal parece que esa afición explica su temperamento al treparse a la lomita de lanzar en cada partido con los Marineros o con el uniforme de Puerto Rico como ocurrió en el pasado Clásico Mundial de Béisbol.

“Los gallos son de raza y yo digo que yo tengo raza. En eso me puedo comparar con los gallos, en la raza”, dijo entre risas Díaz haciendo alusión a las situaciones de presión en que sube a lanzar al montículo en cada partido de Grandes Ligas, las que dice que disfruta.

“Desde pequeño mi papá siempre ha tenido gallos y las amistades de nosotros del barrio siempre han tenido gallos también. Pues me ha gustado y he seguido ese camino”, agregó el veloz tirador derecho de 23 años de edad, quien viene de su temporada consagratoria en apenas su segundo año en las Mayores, y su primero completo tras debutar en 2016.

Pero Díaz no esconde que su verdadera pasión está en ir a echar los gallos a pelear y en el juego de las apuestas.

“Estoy más en lo de jugar porque yo llego a Puerto Rico cuando la temporada (de las peleas) va a empezar. La temporada corre de noviembre a julio. En el momento que se castan los gallos, que es de febrero en adelante, yo estoy en Estados Unidos y mi papá es el que se encarga de castarlos y criar los pollos. Cuando yo vengo, ya están adultos así como están estos, y los vamos seleccionando para llevarlos a la gallera”.

—

It seems that this passion explains his temperament when he takes the mound in every game with the Mariners or in the Puerto Rico uniform, as happened in the past World Baseball Classic.

“Roosters are purebred, and I say I have purebred blood. In that way, I can compare myself to roosters, in breed,” Díaz said with a laugh, alluding to the high-pressure situations he faces when he takes the mound in every Major League game, which he says he enjoys.

“Since I was little, my dad has always had roosters, and our friends from the neighborhood have always had roosters too. Well, I liked it and I followed that path,” added the speedy 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, who is coming off his breakthrough season in just his second year in the Majors, and his first full season after debuting in 2016.

But Díaz doesn’t hide the fact that his true passion lies in cockfighting and gambling.

“I’m more involved in the fighting because I arrive in Puerto Rico when the fighting season is about to start. The season runs from November to July. When the roosters are bred, which is from February onward, I’m in the United States, and my dad is the one who breeds them and raises the chicks. When I come back, they’re already adults, like these, and we select them to take to the cockfighting arena.”

It is also worth noting that the alleged conduct in Puerto Rico described in the 2018 articles predated the federal ban on cockfighting.

Neither Edwin Diaz nor Alexis Diaz is currently facing any criminal charges, nor is there any announcement or investigation by any territorial or federal body. Mr. Peter’s article reported that various horse racing agencies have investigated Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz following reports that they participated in a cockfighting event, but no sanctions have been announced.

Alexis Diaz currently plays at Triple-A Round Rock in the Texas Rangers organization and provided no comment to USA Today. USA Today attempted to get a comment from Edwin Diaz through both the Dodgers and THE TEAM, Edwin’s agent, to no avail.

On May 15, USA Today had a follow-up article by Josh Peter stating that animal welfare groups were calling for action against Edwin Diaz and the Ortiz jockeys for their alleged involvement, as described in the original article.

“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.”

It was reported that Mr. Pacelle sent letters to both MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority about the original allegations.

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