Why this man shouldn’t be playing the Masters — Opinion

Angel Cabrera makes his big return to the Masters this week and it’s not what’s being said that is most disturbing, but rather, what’s not.

The man who won at Augusta in 2009, and who Adam Scott beat in a playoff in 2013, hasn’t been seen on tour for the past four years.

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He’s been serving time in an Argentinian prison, sentenced to 30 months jail for domestic violence.

For assaulting, stalking and attempting to run over his ex-girlfriend Cecilia Torres Mana, and assault and intimidation of another former partner Micaela Escudero. His ex-wife, Silvia Rivadero, also made serious accusations against him.

Yet when asked about his return, Augusta chairman Fred Ridley reduced his prison sentence and horrific crimes to “legal issues”.

Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw hosts the Champions Dinner and was ecstatic when Cabrera confirmed his return.

“I tell you what, I’m excited to see Angel,” Crenshaw said.

“The focus of the dinner will be on Scottie (Scheffler), but it’ll be great to have Angel back”

This is a sport where the wrong socks, or a shirt without a collar, or wearing a hat inside is met with more disapproving looks than Cabrera is currently facing for violent crimes against his partners.

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A quick search of headlines also leaves you scratching your head about Cabrera’s “Dream to Return”. So too “Augusta to Welcome Back Masters Champion after Prison Stint”, and “For the First Time since 2019 Angel Cabrera is set to return to the Masters”.

Another site has a story titled “20 facts about Angel Cabrera” – and you have to scroll down to No.17 to find any word of his domestic violence offences and jail time.

It’s the inconvenient, uncomfortable truth.

We’d rather not think of our “friend”, our “golf star”, our “champion” as a convicted offender of the heinous and widespread crime that is domestic violence.

In Australia, at least one woman dies at the hands of her partner or ex-partner every four days. One woman murdered… a mother, daughter, sister, friend, who has their life brutally taken by someone.

It is the cold reality of domestic violence.

I’m not mincing my words, because it’s as confronting as my language describes.

And words matter. They can save lives.

Glossing over Cabrera’s crime, welcoming him with open arms, failing to properly describe what he did… it diminishes domestic violence, it fails to hold those who commit it to account.

It reduces the value of a woman’s life.

Men need other men to call out their behaviour. Those with influence need to speak out.

To say, ‘That’s not acceptable, that’s not what we stand for, that is a crime’.

If more people in positions of power did that, then a line in the sand of what we in society are willing to accept would change.

Cabrera has done just two interviews since his release and claims he regrets his behaviour, although it has to be said, much of the focus of the articles is on his isolation and hardship in prison.

I am all for forgiveness and reformation, but language matters and just pretending nothing ever happened disintegrates the abhorrence and meaning of domestic violence. It’s just a phrase, rather than the brutal description of an awful crime.

Cabrera has served time for his crime, but does his ‘freedom’, his return to normality, have to be a direct line to his power, positioning and privilege as a professional athlete?

Men who assault women should be uncomfortable, they should be faced with disapproving looks and conversations from those around them, they should feel that they need to change their behaviour. Two interviews from Cabrera isn’t enough to do that.

Sport has an incredible power to influence society. Sport, and those involved in the platform it carries, have the ability to take a stand against violence against women, beyond the white ribbons, fundraisers and token messages.

I’m not advocating for someone to be cancelled but I am urging people to examine the way they minimise – and in some cases, trivialise – domestic violence, which takes the life of a woman in Australia nearly twice a week.

It’s not a “legal issue” – it’s a crime and it kills far too many.

If you had the power to save a woman, would you do it?

Our actions and reactions to cases of domestic violence like Angel Cabrera’s can.

So – do you still feel the same way?