A Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Edwin Díaz, and top jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz have been allegedly linked to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico through social media posts and local media reports. Díaz was pictured in his Dodgers uniform in posts advertising cockfighting tournaments, and he was quoted in a Puerto Rican newspaper discussing his lifelong involvement in the sport, which remains culturally significant on the island despite a 2019 federal ban. The Ortiz brothers were also promoted as participants in a 2025 cockfighting event, with a Facebook post highlighting their passion for the blood sport alongside their international horse racing careers.
Puerto Rico has a complex legal stance on cockfighting: while a federal law bans it, the territory passed a law permitting cockfights as long as no animals or related goods cross borders. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal ban in 2021. Following reports of the Ortiz brothers’ involvement, Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming launched an investigation but ultimately took no administrative action. Representatives for Díaz and the Ortiz brothers have not commented on the allegations. Meanwhile, Díaz is currently recovering from elbow surgery and under contract with the Dodgers through 2028.
