Banned Former Braves GM Reinstated By MLB

When somebody is banned from baseball, it is always highly unlikely that they will ever emerge again in the sport.

Then again, there are exceptions, such as former New York Mets reliever Jennry Mejia.

But on Sunday, MLB chose to reinstate a formerly banned executive.

Former Atlanta Braves General Manager John Coppolella is that individual, after he had been banned for life after taking part in an illegal international signing scandal.

Coppolella had been banned for the previous five years before MLB chose to reinstate him.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic revealed the news of Coppolella’s reinstatement, writing a column on the matter and providing the details of MLB’s decision to reverse the ban.

Five years after he was hit with a “lifetime” ban by MLB, former Braves GM John Coppolella has been reinstated.@jaysonst has details and a statement from Coppolella who said, “I deeply regret and accept accountability for my actions.”https://t.co/GL2l6ihDaH

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) January 9, 2023

Coppolella had been in the Braves organization since 2006.

The 44-year-old joined the Braves as the director of baseball operations, a position he held until 2011, when he was promoted to the role of director of professional scouting.

A year later, he became the assistant general manager.

After John Hart took over as the president of baseball operations, Coppolella was given the role of general manager, signing a four-year deal in October of 2015.

However, he resigned in 2017 after MLB had disclosed several infractions regarding the Braves’ signing of international players.

But this was nothing new for Coppolella, who had previously been under investigation for his disregard for MLB rules against tampering with players of other teams.

He also had violated several rules regarding drafting, such as visiting players prior to the draft and signing them to pre-draft deals.

He was banned on November 21, 2017.

However, MLB has chosen to reverse the embattled executive’s ban.