Roberto Alomar Again Accused of Having Unprotected Sex While HIV Positive; Will Allegations Keep Him Out of Hall of Fame?

Will allegations that Roberto Alomar had unprotected sex with at least two women while he knowingly had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, keep the former baseball great out of the Hall of Fame?

Alomar fended off accusations and a lawsuit in February of 2009 that he lied to a former girlfriend when he said he did not have HIV and then had unprotected sex with her.

This week, Alomar's wife, Maria Del Pilar "Maripily" Rivera Alomar, filed a lawsuit against her husband (who, presumably, will become her ex-husband at some point), saying that "Alomar knew prior to his first sexual contact with [her] that he was HIV-positive".

Ironically, when Alomar faced accusations from his former girlfriend of doing essentially the same thing, his wife (who was then his fiancé), defended Alomar, saying that his ex-girlfriend's accusations were a "vile lie and not true." Alomar ultimately reached an undisclosed out of court settlement with his ex-girlfriend.

But now, Alomar's wife claims she has conclusive proof that her husband has HIV and lied to her about it before they were married.

It was a significant surprise to most baseball fans that Alomar did not make the Hall of Fame last year in his first year of eligibility. While rumors have swirled about Alomar's lifestyle for years, it seemed doubtful that the rumors alone would be enough to keep a deserving player out of the Hall of Fame.

Alomar was a lifetime .300 hitter with 215 home runs; stellar numbers for a second baseman. He was also an outstanding defensive player and for several years was considered one of the top three or four players in baseball. Based on his on the field performance, he clearly deserves to be inducted into Cooperstown.

Alomar did have an on field incident when he spit on umpire John Hirschbeck in a game in 1996 during a heated argument. Though the two have reconciled and actually became good friends in the years since, one plausible theory for Alomar not making it was that voters were punishing him for that incident by making him wait for induction.

While spitting on an umpire is a vile act, it would likely not be seen as unforgivable over the long run and would seem unlikely to keep Alomar out of the Hall of Fame. But if the allegation that Alomar knowingly exposed his wife (and maybe his girlfriend), to HIV by having unprotected sex is true, it will almost certainly be seen as unforgivable to the Hall of Fame voters. The Hall of Fame would likely be a small worry for Alomar, of course, if his wife's allegation of unprotected sex with HIV is proven true.

Source: Bobby Martinez, "Wife accuses Roberto Alomar of exposing her to HIV", nypost.com