Retired professional baseball player Lenny Dykstra, aged 62, is facing charges following an incident on New Year’s Day. Pennsylvania State Police reported that a trooper discovered drugs and paraphernalia in his possession during a traffic stop in Pike County, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Dykstra resides.
According to police statements, charges related to the discovery will be filed, though specific details regarding the nature of the charges and the types of drugs involved have not been disclosed. Dykstra was a passenger in the vehicle during the traffic stop, and his lawyer, Matthew Blit, emphasized in a statement that the vehicle does not belong to Dykstra and clarified that he was not accused of being under the influence of any substances at the scene of the stop. Blit expressed confidence that any potential charges would be “swiftly absolved.”
Lenny Dykstra, who played for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, earned the nickname “Nails” due to his gritty playing style throughout his long career. Post-retirement, Dykstra ventured into business, however, he encountered numerous legal troubles over the years. Notably, he served time in a California prison due to bankruptcy fraud, receiving a sentence of more than six months for concealing baseball memorabilia from his career, such as gloves. This sentence ran concurrently with a three-year term for pleading no contest to charges of grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement, during which he claimed to have owed over $31 million despite allegedly possessing only $50,000 in assets.
In addition to his past legal issues, Dykstra faced various charges in other incidents. In April 2012, he pleaded no contest for indecent exposure to women he encountered via Craigslist. Later, in 2019, he pleaded guilty for his company, Titan Equity Group, to illegally renting out rooms in a property located in New Jersey, leading to approximately $3,000 in fines. Furthermore, the same year saw a judge dismiss drug and terroristic threat charges against Dykstra stemming from a dispute with an Uber driver, where police found cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana in his belongings. Dykstra’s lawyer described that incident as “overblown” and maintained Dykstra’s innocence.
In 2020, Dykstra attempted to file a defamation lawsuit against former Mets teammate Ron Darling after Darling alleged that Dykstra made racist comments toward an opponent during the 1986 World Series. However, a New York Supreme Court judge, Justice Robert D. Kalish, dismissed the lawsuit, asserting that Dykstra’s reputation was already significantly tarnished due to his previous actions, which included accusations of being a racist, misogynist, anti-gay, sexual predator, drug abuser, thief, and embezzler, effectively undermining any further damage to his reputation.
Dykstra’s recent legal issues appear to continue the troubling pattern of his post-baseball life, contrasting sharply with his once-celebrated status as a professional athlete. As his legal situation unfolds, the former player’s history suggests a long-standing struggle with personal and legal challenges.
