dailyloe.com – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz and jockeys Jose and Irad Ortiz are allegedly linked to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico. This connection was reported through social media posts advertising cockfighting tournaments. The report, published by USA Today, features Díaz in his Dodgers uniform alongside a quote from him in El Nuevo Día.
In the Kentucky Derby, which took place earlier this month, Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz finished first and second. The social media posts suggested that the Ortiz brothers participated in a cockfighting tournament in 2025. Representatives for Díaz and the Ortiz brothers did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Díaz and the Ortiz brothers were born in Puerto Rico, where cockfighting is a long-standing cultural tradition. It is a major industry and has created tension between the U.S. territory and the federal government. A federal law banning cockfighting came into effect in Puerto Rico in 2019.
While cockfighting was illegal in all 50 states, U.S. territories were not included in the ban initially. Many Puerto Ricans viewed the federal ban as a cultural attack and pledged to resist the law. Consequently, Puerto Rico passed legislation permitting cockfighting as long as there is no import or export of related animals or goods.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the federal law in 2021. This challenge was initiated by a group arguing that Congress overstepped its authority by applying the ban to Puerto Rico. In a story published in March by El Nuevo Día, Díaz discussed his interest in cockfighting, stating it is a pastime he has followed since childhood.
Díaz mentioned attending a tournament where his family entered four roosters. He expressed, “It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. It’s something I’ve done since childhood, something my dad instilled in me.”
The Dodgers signed Díaz to a three-year, $69-million contract in December 2025. Recently, the team announced that Díaz was undergoing surgery to remove “loose bodies.”
