No Penalties in Locker-Room Confrontation

Dodger outfielder Milton Bradley apologized to a Los Angeles Times reporter Thursday, one day after an angry confrontation between the two, and owner Frank McCourt said the club would not discipline Bradley because of the incident.

As a clubhouse interview escalated into a tense argument between the two black men, Bradley called Jason Reid an “Uncle Tom” and “a sellout.” The words provoked a heated response from Reid, and Dodger players intervened to escort him from the clubhouse.

Dodger spokesman John Olguin and Times Sports Editor Bill Dwyre said they consider the matter concluded. Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of Major League Baseball, said Thursday, “The incident is being reviewed,” but spokesman Rich Levin added officials are “satisfied the two sides are working together to resolve the situation.”

Bradley went two for three in Thursday’s playoff game against the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting a home run in the fourth inning. He declined to comment before the game. As he took the field for batting practice, he did not stop for the armada of television cameras trailing him, turning toward them only long enough to smile and say, “Get a good picture.”

“Milton and I met in the clubhouse before the game,” Reid said in a statement. “He apologized for the slur he directed at me and we resolved to treat each other with respect and professionalism going forward. The matter is closed as far as I’m concerned.”

Dwyre said the newspaper would not discipline Reid.

McCourt said he was briefed on the incident Thursday. Dwyre said neither he nor Reid spoke with McCourt.

McCourt said he did not condone the epithet used by Bradley but said he did not believe this incident was anywhere near as serious as the one at Dodger Stadium last week, in which Bradley threw a plastic bottle onto the floor of the outfield stands, in the section from where a fan tossed the bottle toward him. Bradley apologized for that incident, did not appeal the five-game suspension imposed by baseball and promised to seek anger management counseling.

“I was very, very upset by that incident,” McCourt said. “I don’t have the same reaction to this. This is something that occurred between two individuals.

“Milton didn’t raise his voice, and he tried to walk away. This does not rise to the level of discipline for Milton. Having said that, I don’t condone him being disrespectful, or name-calling of any type.”

McCourt said that language would be unacceptable from any Dodger employee. However, he denied the incident reflected another lapse in Bradley’s behavior.

“I’m satisfied this is unrelated to his so-called anger issues,” McCourt said. “I don’t think it should have happened, but it’s not fair to jump to the conclusion that because of what happened, it’s our player’s fault.”

Bradley, traded by the Cleveland Indians in April after a series of incidents that culminated in a dugout confrontation with Manager Eric Wedge, has been suspended twice and ejected four times this season.

Dodger closer Eric Gagne said the players took the incident in stride.

“Milton and I think Jason Reid got involved in a little heated discussion ... that has nothing to do with the team,” Gagne said. “We’re just focused on winning baseball games. That’s not the first time it happens. It won’t be the last time. We’re just going to go on and take care of business, take care of baseball.”

Alderson said it was uncertain whether major league officials would extend their inquiry to determining whether the Dodgers acted appropriately by asking a Fox Sports Net television crew to erase its tape of the incident.

“We rolled on the whole thing and the next thing I know I’ve got a PR guy up in my face -- pretty big guy -- yelling at us to turn the camera off,” reporter Brent Stover said on the Fox Sports radio network Thursday. “He said, ‘You are not going to get out of here with that tape and it’s not going to hit the air.’ ”

Olguin said the camera crew was permitted to be in the clubhouse at the time. He acknowledged asking the crew to erase the video immediately and said the crew complied without question.

Olguin said he did not intend to prevent video of the confrontation from being broadcast. Instead, he said, he wanted to prevent video of partially undressed players from leaving the room.

“He was panning the clubhouse and there were a number of players coming out of the shower and involved in the ruckus,” Olguin said.

FSN chief operating officer Randy Freer called the crew’s decision to erase the tape “a serious lapse in judgment.”

Times staff writer Larry Stewart contributed to this report.