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Kelly Shoppach Reportedly Behind Text Message Calling Red Sox Ownership Meeting

The New York Daily News is reporting that while the text message that lead the Red Sox players to a meeting with ownership back in July was sent from Adrian Gonzalez's phone, he wasn't the one responsible for the content of it, but Kelly Shoppach was.

By Erika Leigh
Aug 6, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach (10) warms up before the start of the game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE
Aug 6, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach (10) warms up before the start of the game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

It seems that Adrian Gonzalez is off the hook...sort of.

The New York Daily News is reporting that while the text message that led Red Sox players to a meeting with ownership back in July during their series against the New York Yankees was sent from Adrian Gonzalez's phone, he wasn't the one responsible for the content of it.

Originally the Yahoo! story Jeff Passan broke said that more than fifteen of the team's players were behind the message, but now sources have revealed to the Daily News that "a small group" of players who were unhappy with Valentine — including Kelly Shoppach — were all complaining about Bobby Valentine and involved Adrian Gonzalez in their conversation. The players believed that a message coming from the team's highest paid player, and current AL Player of the Week Gonzalez, would send a strong message to ownership.

When asked about his involvement again during the current Red Sox/Yankees series, Gonzalez said, "I know why you’re asking, but we’re not going to talk about that anymore."

Earlier in the weekend, Shoppach, who's now with his fourth team in four years, denied being the ringleader, saying:

"I have no influence on what they’re doing with upper management, I am a backup catcher doing my job. It is my responsibility to do my job. That’s it: a guy on a one-year contract who is just happy to have a job around a bunch of talented guys like they have there."

Shoppach did, however, let on to what he believed was the main issue in the Red Sox organization, shortly after being traded to the New York Mets adding, "Let me be very careful. I think, and maybe this is as far as I’ll go with it, too, there is a disconnect in communication between the players through the upper management."

When further confronted with the report, Shoppach said he's moved on from the issue, and that he no longer is concerned with the Red Sox:

"I don’t know that anybody is saying anything, and to be honest, I don’t care. I don’t play for them. I play for the Mets. My responsibility is here. Nothing I did yesterday does anything for today, and that’s going to be my stance for the rest of my life. ‘What am I going to do today?' Yesterday’s gone."