Wander Franco’s U.S.-based attorney no stranger to high-profile cases

Say this for the Pittsburgh-based sports attorney stepping to the plate for Wander Franco: His previous baseball clientele reads like a card-show extravaganza.

At various points, Jay Reisinger has represented Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettitte and Aroldis Chapman in legal matters or at Congressional hearings. Now, the well-known litigator — also a certified agent with the Major Leage Baseball Players Association — has been retained by Franco as the Rays’ All-Star shortstop faces allegations of inappropriate relationships with one or more minors.

A dad of three and devout fan of Pittsburgh’s pro sports teams, Reisinger received his law degree from Ohio Northern University, earning a bachelor’s in history from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. As an MLB agent, he is certified to work in salary-arbitration hearings and contract negotiations.

But he has earned national prominence for his representation of pro athletes in various criminal and/or disciplinary cases, and at Congressional hearings. Reisinger’s bio on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) indicates he represents athletes in “crisis management, disciplinary proceedings, salary arbitration and grievance/litigation matters.”

Here’s a look at some of the more prominent big-league players Reisinger has represented, along with the outcomes of their respective legal matters.

Aroldis Chapman

Reisinger initially represented the seven-time All-Star closer (then with the Reds) when Chapman was accused by his girlfriend of choking and pushing her against a wall and subsequently firing eight gunshots at his Miami-area home in December 2015. Prosecutors in Broward County chose not to file criminal charges, but a pending trade to the Dodgers was canceled, and Major League Baseball suspended Chapman 30 days under terms of its personal-conduct policy.

Mike Clevinger

Major League Baseball launched an investigation this past winter into allegations of domestic violence against Clevinger after a woman who said she is the mother of one of Clevinger’s children claimed the White Sox pitcher threw an iPad at her and strangled her. MLB announced in early March that Clevinger wouldn’t face discipline under MLB’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. Through Sunday’s games, he was 5-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 16 starts.

Andy Pettitte

The winningest pitcher in big-league postseason history retained Reisinger for his appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2008, when Congress was examining steroid use in baseball. Pettitte, who already had acknowledged using human growth hormone (HGH) to help heal an injury in 2002, admitted to taking additional injections in 2004 via a prescription for his seriously ill dad. While still not a Hall of Famer, Pettitte’s reputation seemingly hasn’t been tarnished as badly as some peers.

Alex Rodriguez

Reisinger was among the attorneys hired by A-Rod in early 2009 after a Sports Illustrated reported that he tested positive for steroids during baseball’s anonymous survey. Reisinger also represented Rodriguez at least during the early stages of Major League Baseball’s Biogenesis investigation, when several players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of America. Rodriguez ultimately was suspended for the whole 2014 season.

Francisco Rodriguez

The Mets closer originally was suspended two days by the team following an altercation with his girlfriend’s father at Citi Field in August 2010. Rodriguez, who was arrested and charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault, later was placed on the disqualified list by the club after acknowledging he tore a ligament in his right thumb during the altercation. He didn’t pitch again that year and was traded to the Brewers the following July.

Sammy Sosa

Reisinger represented Sosa in 2005 during his testimony before Congress related to performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. At that hearing, Sosa denied ever taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Despite 609 career home runs, Sosa has never come close to receiving the required number of votes for entry to the Hall of Fame.

Felipe Vazquez

Reisinger served as one of Vazquez’s attorneys when the Pirates closer was arrested in 2019 on multiple felony charges (including statutory sexual assault, soliciting a child and pornography) stemming from a relationship with a 13-year-old girl. In May 2021, a jury in Pennsylvania convicted Vazquez on 15 counts as a result of the relationship, and he was sentenced to two to four years in state prison.

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