Dodgers' Edwin Diaz Linked to Illegal Puerto Rico Cockfighting Ring

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz faces a potential public relations crisis after a USA Today investigation connected him to an illegal cockfighting ring in Puerto Rico.

Social media posts and promotional materials linked the $102 million closer to the operation. Despite a federal ban on cockfighting that took effect in 2019, Diaz appeared in tournament graphics wearing his official Dodgers uniform.

The probe also uncovered a March 2026 interview with El Nuevo Día in which Diaz discussed his family's involvement in the underground circuit. He described cockfighting as a pastime from his childhood and said his family entered four roosters into a recent tournament.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal ban in 2021, turning participation into a potential federal crime. Cockfighting has long been part of local tradition in Puerto Rico.

Champion jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr., who recently dominated the Kentucky Derby, also surfaced in the investigation. Social media footage showed the Ortiz brothers collecting cash bets at one of the alleged cockfighting events.

No criminal charges have been filed against Diaz. MLB's personal conduct policy, however, permits the league to discipline players regardless of legal results.