Major League Soccer announced Wednesday that Austin striker Cecilio Dominguez has been reinstated by Major League Soccer after being suspended and an investigation into possible off-field misconduct.
The association said in a statement that Dominguez is now free to participate in all team activities, although his reinstatement is conditional on participation in “continuous counseling”. Dominguez will be evaluated by a Program Officer from the League’s Materials and Behavioral Health Program, who will determine the specific programs Dominguez will participate in.
The player was suspended in April for possible off-field misconduct stemming from a report of a domestic dispute with his partner. He missed five matches during the suspension.
According to a report from the Austin Police Department, obtained by ESPN, on the afternoon of April 8, police were called to the home of Dominguez’s ex-partner “in reference to a potential domestic violence victim.”
The report states that the alleged victim had previously reported to a “team friend” about Dominguez’s abuse. The report added that the alleged victim “was considered to be in potential danger because the suspect would have been suspended from his team as a result of her mention of his mistreatment.”
Officers, including a victim services supervisor and counselor, were called to the former partner’s residence and were greeted by an Austin club sports psychologist and team support person. The alleged victim told attendees that she “has no allegations of any physical assault”. She stated that “there was some potential mental and emotional abuse, but nothing physical” between her and Dominguez.
A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department said at the time that the report was for documentation only and that Dominguez had not been arrested, while no criminal investigation had been opened regarding him.
A source familiar with the association’s investigation said it focused on whether there were physical abuse, and concluded there was “insufficient evidence to support any alleged cases” of such behaviour. The investigation focused solely on Dominguez’s time at MLS. Dominguez was accused of domestic violence in his native Paraguay in 2016, but the source said MLS was unable to obtain court records relating to the case.
As for why Dominguez recommended counselling, while the investigation found there was no evidence of physical abuse, the police report alluded to verbal and emotional abuse. For this reason, the investigation concluded that counseling is a service that can be beneficial to all families where there is “potential friction”.
This approach has been accepted by Dominguez, MLS, and the MLS Players Association. Dominguez’s former partner has also been counseled.
