Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said Tuesday the club had little knowledge about pitcher Josh Hancock’s off-field activities and that the responsibility for policing players’ activities lies with the players.
Answering questions for the first time since Hancock died Sunday in an early-morning car crash, Jocketty said he was aware that Hancock was a social drinker but nothing more.
“There’s a lot of guys who like to have a cocktail now and then, and maybe some more than others,” Jocketty said. “But unless you go out and socialize with the guys, which I don’t, how are you going to know? … It’s up to them to police themselves.”
Witnesses told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Hancock was drinking at a downtown bar shortly before his rented sport utility vehicle plowed into a tow truck being used in the left lane of Interstate Highway 40.
Details about Hancock and the crash continued to unfold Tuesday. Sources close to the crash investigation told the Post-Dispatch that a small amount of marijuana, in a small tin, was recovered from Hancock’s demolished vehicle Sunday morning.
A Cardinals source said the club was made aware of the finding Monday night.
Michael Graham, the St. Louis medical examiner, said Tuesday he would not release any autopsy findings until after Hancock’s memorial service in Mississippi on Thursday.
Hancock’s death occurred less than 72 hours after he was involved in another accident in Sauget, Ill., when a tractor-trailer clipped the front bumper of his vehicle at an intersection. The accident occurred at about 5:30 a.m., barely four hours before the pitcher was due at Busch Stadium for an afternoon game against the Reds.
Jocketty said he did not believe manager Tony La Russa’s arrest for drunken driving March 22 has compromised his ability to confront players over alcohol abuse. La Russa is awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges.