Jim Leyritz, the most verbose of Yankees in his days as a player, took a statement out of a binder yesterday and handed it to a reporter as his comment about his pending trial on charges of DUI manslaughter.
Leyritz was at Yankee Stadium, he said, with the permission of the trial judge, but not the blessing of the Yankees. He was attending the Futures Game as part of his new line of work, serving as a talent scout for a Boston-based player agency.
On Dec. 28 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Leyritz was involved in a car crash that killed a 30-year-old mother of two named Fredia Veitch. Blood samples taken following the accident showed both Leyritz and Veitch to be over Florida’s legal limit for alcohol.
Leyritz called the accident “a horrible tragedy” in the statement.
“It (the accident) continues to be difficult for both families,” the statement continued, in part. “As for my case, it is making its way through the court process and my attorneys firmly believe that I should be vindicated of all charges. The evidence is clear that I was not responsible for the accident.”
Leyritz refused to discuss the matter beyond the statement. Standing beside the Yankee dugout and dressed casually, Leyritz said this was a business trip. The Yankees have no plans to include Leyritz in any of the major events in the closing year of Yankee Stadium. As a postseason hero from the 1996 championship season, he certainly would have been included in the Old-Timer’s Game and other events had the December accident not occurred.
“It’s been tough not to be able to work,” Leyritz said. “I am home raising my three boys as a single father and looking forward to moving my life forward to where I can work again.”