Edwin Diaz has been implicated in illegal cockfighting activities in Puerto Rico, alongside his brother Alexis Diaz and jockeys Jose and Irad Ortiz. The report details their alleged involvement in this controversial blood sport.
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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. Peterâs 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.
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 wasnât until 1933 that it was declared an official sport and came to be known as the âgentlemanâs sportâ 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 islandâs 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.
Edwin Diaz is alleged to have participated in illegal cockfighting activities in Puerto Rico, as reported by Josh Peter.
Alongside Edwin Diaz, his brother Alexis Diaz and jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, Jr. are also implicated in the scandal.
Cockfighting is a blood sport where roosters are bred to fight each other, often resulting in injury or death, making it a controversial and illegal activity in many places.
Participants in cockfighting in Puerto Rico could face legal penalties, including fines and imprisonment, as it is considered a violation of animal cruelty laws.

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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.
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: âGood 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. Weâll be waiting for you!â
The second advertisement translates to: ââTHIS SATURDAY, 7TH â 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 âSugarâ DĂaz. An afternoon to celebrate Puerto Rican tradition, sport, and excellence.â
As if to dispel any doubt, Mr. Peter cites a March 10 story from El Nuevo DĂa 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, âItâs a pastime Iâve followed since I was a child. Itâs legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldnât be here.â
Another quote from the same March 10 story that was not featured in the USA Today piece, which strongly implicates Edwin Diazâs alleged involvement in cockfighting, is as follows, presented both in the original Spanish and translated English:
El tambiĂ©n llamado deporte de âcaballerosâ âporque mantener la palabra en la jugada es parte esencialâ tuvo un torneo de mĂșltiples peleas el domingo, entre las que la familia DĂaz presentĂł cuatro gallos.
Llevaron un gallo cenizo, dos bĂșlicos y uno rubio, y lograron ganar un par de esas peleas. En total llevaron 10 gallos y pudieron âcazarâ cuatro en el torneo.
Y como en cualquier deporte, sobre todo en el de los gallos, que son transportados literalmente en sacos, DĂaz tambiĂ©n experimentĂł victorias y derrotas.
âLa Ășnica diferencia entre los gallos y el bĂ©isbol es que en la pelota no se âentablaâ (empata). Hay que llevar los dos sacos. En la pelota llevo los dos sacos, el de ganar y el de perder. AquĂ (en los gallos) igual. Prefiero ganar que perder. Y si no, entablar. Pero siempre se busca la forma de lucir bienâ, dijo DĂazâŠ
âŠY es que DĂaz se siente tan querido en el coliseo como en el estadio.
âAquĂ me siento seguroâ, dijo DĂaz, quien tambiĂ©n firma autĂłgrafos y posa para âselfiesâ en el ambiente gallĂstico. âPuedo venir y compartir aquĂ con todas mis amistades. No me gusta estar mucho en la calle. La gente aquĂ me trata superbiĂ©n. La gallera es como si fuera mi casaâ.
(Emphasis added.)
â
The so-called âgentlemanâsâ sport â because keeping the word in the play is an essential part â 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 âhuntâ four in the tournament.
And as in any sport, especially in that of roosters, which are literally transported in sacks, DĂaz also experienced victories and defeats.
âThe only difference between roosters and baseball is that in the ball you donât âengageâ (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. Iâd rather win than lose. And if not, to engage. But you always look for a way to look good,â said DĂazâŠ
âŠAnd it is that DĂaz feels as loved in the coliseum as in the stadium.
âI feel safe here,â said Diaz, who also signs autographs and poses for selfies in the cockfighting environment. âI can come and share here with all my friends. I donât like to be on the street a lot. People here treat me very well. The cockpit is like my home.â
(Emphasis added.)
In an update to the USA Today article, Mr. Peterâs 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 Todayarticle did not link to the original or provide the exact date, but the article in question, âAdrenalina fuera del diamante / Adrenaline outside the diamond,â 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, AntolĂn Maldonado RĂos of Primera Hora published âEdwin âSugarâ DĂaz tiene otra pasiĂłn / Edwin âSugarâ DĂaz has another passion,â 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 Clåsico Mundial de Béisbol.
âLos gallos son de raza y yo digo que yo tengo raza. En eso me puedo comparar con los gallos, en la razaâ, dijo entre risas DĂaz haciendo alusiĂłn a las situaciones de presiĂłn en que sube a lanzar al montĂculo en cada partido de Grandes Ligas, las que dice que disfruta.
âDesde pequeño mi papĂĄ siempre ha tenido gallos y las amistades de nosotros del barrio siempre han tenido gallos tambiĂ©n. Pues me ha gustado y he seguido ese caminoâ, agregĂł 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 DĂaz no esconde que su verdadera pasiĂłn estĂĄ en ir a echar los gallos a pelear y en el juego de las apuestas.
âEstoy mĂĄs 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 papĂĄ es el que se encarga de castarlos y criar los pollos. Cuando yo vengo, ya estĂĄn adultos asĂ como estĂĄn estos, y los vamos seleccionando para llevarlos a la galleraâ.
â
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.
âRoosters are purebred, and I say I have purebred blood. In that way, I can compare myself to roosters, in breed,â DĂaz 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.
âSince 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,â 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 DĂaz doesnât hide the fact that his true passion lies in cockfighting and gambling.
âIâm 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, Iâm in the United States, and my dad is the one who breeds them and raises the chicks. When I come back, theyâre already adults, like these, and we select them to take to the cockfighting arena.â
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. Peterâs 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, Edwinâs 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.
âCockfighting 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,â Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said, according to the press release. âParticipation in such conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities expected of licensed jockeys and other racing professionals who have animal-care responsibilities.â
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.