http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2880144
TAMPA - In late April, Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes barged into his wife's middle school classroom at lunchtime.
He was so irate that she ran to get the principal and a deputy, who banned Dukes from the property, records show.
His wife, who said she fears for her life, sought a restraining order and told the court it was the latest in a string of outbursts by the 22-year-old rookie player.
Dukes' wife, NiShea Gilbert, 26, a teacher at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, told the court in another filing Thursday that her husband threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone.
She played the St. Petersburg Times a voice mail message she said was from Dukes:
"You dead, dawg," says an angry voice. "I ain't even bull--------. Your kids, too."
Dukes is in his first season with the Devil Rays, and his eight home runs - the most by any American League rookie - speak to his professional promise.
But Dukes' personal life is a mess. Twice in the last month, the wife of the Tampa native and former Hillsborough High standout has filed requests for protection against him. A court hearing on her latest request is May 30.
"I just don't think I should live in fear," said Gilbert. "When (the Rays) go out of town, I come home. When they're at home, I go stay with my mother. I shouldn't have to live like that because he's a baseball player."
Dukes, when approached after batting practice Tuesday evening, declined to discuss the allegations.
"I'm just going to play ball, that's it," he said. "I've got to go. I've got a video game to finish."
He referred to a statement provided by Rick Vaughn, team vice president.
"The end of our marriage is a personal matter for my wife and me," the statement reads. "Out of respect for my family, especially my children, I wish to keep our proceedings private."
Andrew Friedman, the team's executive vice president of baseball operations, said he was aware of the marital strife, but he knew nothing about allegations of threats.
"I think it's premature to comment on it," he said. "This is the first that we've heard of it. ... The only knowledge we had was that this was a messy divorce. But obviously not the extent that she's stating."
After the school incident, Gilbert filed a request for a restraining order. It was dropped when she missed a court hearing. She filed a second request Thursday.
In it, she said she missed the hearing because one of her children was in the hospital. She said she has received other death threats in recent weeks, including the message she says Dukes left May 2 on her phone.
Here's what the voice on the machine says:
"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bull--------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house."
She also says Dukes called her and told her to check her cell phone.
He sent a text message with a photo of a handgun, she said.
"Elijah continues to call me telling me he is going to kill me and texting me pictures of a gun," she wrote in her request to the court. "I am scared for my life and my kids' life."
However, Gilbert did not call police about those threats, saying she saw the restraining order as an "alternative" way of protecting herself.
"People kept telling me it would mess up his career," said Gilbert, who said both family and friends told her not to press charges against Dukes.
But deputies have been called four times to deal with the couple's domestic issues, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.
In 2003, Gilbert accused Dukes of throwing a remote control at her. In April 2004, she accused him of harassing phone calls. Later that year, she said he hit her with a soda can, threw a glass candy bowl and ripped a phone cord out of the wall when she tried to call 911. In August 2006, deputies arrested Gilbert, accusing her of scratching her husband's back during an argument. The charge was dropped in September.
Court records show that Dukes was sentenced to probation in February 2005 for a charge of domestic battery. They also show that Gilbert received a yearlong restraining order against Dukes in October 2004. But the incident involved in those cases was unclear Tuesday.
In October 2005, another Tampa woman, Carla Bryant, the mother of Dukes' oldest child, filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Dukes. A judge ordered that he stay away from her for a year. Bryant claimed Dukes threatened her over the phone.
Dukes was ordered to attend an anger management course.
Reached Tuesday, Bryant declined to say why she filed for protection. She said she was "going through complicated issues" at the time. Her grandfather was ailing. Dukes was trying to be more involved in their daughter's life.
"We've resolved an issue that we probably could have dealt with ourselves," Bryant said. "As far as anything domestic, I haven't had any altercations with him recently, and anything in the past, I'd like to leave it there."
The pair have a daughter. Bryant had no complaints about Dukes' treatment of the child.
Four women have gone to court seeking child support from Dukes. In all four cases, the court found Dukes was the father, meaning he has at least five children by four women. Two of those women were pregnant at the same time, giving birth in 2003 within eight days of each other.
TAMPA - In late April, Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes barged into his wife's middle school classroom at lunchtime.
He was so irate that she ran to get the principal and a deputy, who banned Dukes from the property, records show.
His wife, who said she fears for her life, sought a restraining order and told the court it was the latest in a string of outbursts by the 22-year-old rookie player.
Dukes' wife, NiShea Gilbert, 26, a teacher at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, told the court in another filing Thursday that her husband threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone.
She played the St. Petersburg Times a voice mail message she said was from Dukes:
"You dead, dawg," says an angry voice. "I ain't even bull--------. Your kids, too."
Dukes is in his first season with the Devil Rays, and his eight home runs - the most by any American League rookie - speak to his professional promise.
But Dukes' personal life is a mess. Twice in the last month, the wife of the Tampa native and former Hillsborough High standout has filed requests for protection against him. A court hearing on her latest request is May 30.
"I just don't think I should live in fear," said Gilbert. "When (the Rays) go out of town, I come home. When they're at home, I go stay with my mother. I shouldn't have to live like that because he's a baseball player."
Dukes, when approached after batting practice Tuesday evening, declined to discuss the allegations.
"I'm just going to play ball, that's it," he said. "I've got to go. I've got a video game to finish."
He referred to a statement provided by Rick Vaughn, team vice president.
"The end of our marriage is a personal matter for my wife and me," the statement reads. "Out of respect for my family, especially my children, I wish to keep our proceedings private."
Andrew Friedman, the team's executive vice president of baseball operations, said he was aware of the marital strife, but he knew nothing about allegations of threats.
"I think it's premature to comment on it," he said. "This is the first that we've heard of it. ... The only knowledge we had was that this was a messy divorce. But obviously not the extent that she's stating."
After the school incident, Gilbert filed a request for a restraining order. It was dropped when she missed a court hearing. She filed a second request Thursday.
In it, she said she missed the hearing because one of her children was in the hospital. She said she has received other death threats in recent weeks, including the message she says Dukes left May 2 on her phone.
Here's what the voice on the machine says:
"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bull--------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house."
She also says Dukes called her and told her to check her cell phone.
He sent a text message with a photo of a handgun, she said.
"Elijah continues to call me telling me he is going to kill me and texting me pictures of a gun," she wrote in her request to the court. "I am scared for my life and my kids' life."
However, Gilbert did not call police about those threats, saying she saw the restraining order as an "alternative" way of protecting herself.
"People kept telling me it would mess up his career," said Gilbert, who said both family and friends told her not to press charges against Dukes.
But deputies have been called four times to deal with the couple's domestic issues, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.
In 2003, Gilbert accused Dukes of throwing a remote control at her. In April 2004, she accused him of harassing phone calls. Later that year, she said he hit her with a soda can, threw a glass candy bowl and ripped a phone cord out of the wall when she tried to call 911. In August 2006, deputies arrested Gilbert, accusing her of scratching her husband's back during an argument. The charge was dropped in September.
Court records show that Dukes was sentenced to probation in February 2005 for a charge of domestic battery. They also show that Gilbert received a yearlong restraining order against Dukes in October 2004. But the incident involved in those cases was unclear Tuesday.
In October 2005, another Tampa woman, Carla Bryant, the mother of Dukes' oldest child, filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Dukes. A judge ordered that he stay away from her for a year. Bryant claimed Dukes threatened her over the phone.
Dukes was ordered to attend an anger management course.
Reached Tuesday, Bryant declined to say why she filed for protection. She said she was "going through complicated issues" at the time. Her grandfather was ailing. Dukes was trying to be more involved in their daughter's life.
"We've resolved an issue that we probably could have dealt with ourselves," Bryant said. "As far as anything domestic, I haven't had any altercations with him recently, and anything in the past, I'd like to leave it there."
The pair have a daughter. Bryant had no complaints about Dukes' treatment of the child.
Four women have gone to court seeking child support from Dukes. In all four cases, the court found Dukes was the father, meaning he has at least five children by four women. Two of those women were pregnant at the same time, giving birth in 2003 within eight days of each other.
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