cockfighting Puerto – Kentucky Derby jockey brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz, plus MLB pitcher Edwin Díaz, are tied to Puerto Rico cockfighting photos and ads.
A Kentucky Derby victory is already built into the spotlight, but a new wave of scrutiny around cockfighting in Puerto Rico is forcing a wider look at several prominent athletes, including the jockey brothers whose Triple Crown campaign is still underway.
Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr.. both Puerto Rican and among the sport’s leading riders. dueled in the thrilling Kentucky Derby finish nearly two weeks ago.. Their Triple Crown run continues this weekend with the Preakness Stakes, where the brothers are set to ride on May 16.. The timing is awkward: photos circulating from social media appear to link Jose and Irad to illegal cockfighting activities.
According to the report, the photos surfaced on social media and point to the Ortiz brothers participating in cockfighting.. The discovery comes nearly six months after a video posted to X appeared to show Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz collecting money off the pit floor from the betting crowd at Club Gallistico de Naguabo. a cockfighting club in Puerto Rico.. The report says Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz did not respond to requests for comment.
The jockeys’ connection is not the only one drawing attention.. The report also links Edwin Díaz. a three-time All-Star pitcher now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. to cockfighting events in Puerto Rico based on photos found on social media.. Díaz is pictured in a Dodgers uniform in a Facebook post dated Feb.. 2, and another Facebook post dated Feb.. 4 advertises cockfighting tournaments.
One of the promotions translated into English names the Puerto Rico Cockfighting Club and frames the event as a tribute to Edwin “Sugar” Díaz.. The report states that El Nuevo Día. the largest circulating newspaper in Puerto Rico. published a story on March 10 featuring a photo of Díaz standing in the pit of a cockfighting arena. and in the translated version Díaz is quoted saying it is a pastime he followed since childhood and that cockfighting is legal in Puerto Rico.
While cockfighting has cultural roots that supporters say go back centuries. federal law has treated it differently across the U.S.. The report notes that a federal ban on cockfighting in all 50 states and U.S.. territories took effect in Puerto Rico in 2019.. It also emphasizes that the maximum penalties differ depending on whether someone is a participant or a spectator. with participants facing higher maximum prison time and spectators facing less.
The details around the Ortiz brothers include specific social media material.. A photo posted on Facebook on Jan.. 14. 2025 shows Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz holding what appear to be roosters while standing in the pit of a cockfighting arena in Puerto Rico.. The Facebook page belongs to Oscar Calderon. described in the report as a cockfighter and breeder of fighting roosters known as gamecocks.
The report further describes a Facebook ad posted Dec.. 17, 2025 that includes Jose and Irad Ortiz and uses a similar promotional format identifying participants for a cockfighting event.. That text. translated in the report. says the brothers accepted the challenge of competing in the “Gran Campeón Caribeño” tournament.. The ad also presents their presence as an honor for the institution running the event.
There is also a connection drawn through matching visuals across social platforms.. The report says a photo of Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz wearing the same clothes as in the video that surfaced on X was posted to Calderon’s Instagram page on Jan.. 15, 2024, with a location tag of Club Gallistico de Naguabo, the same facility referenced in the earlier video.
For Edwin Díaz, the promotional trail points to a cockfighting club that has challenged the federal ban.. The report says the Facebook posts featuring Díaz in a Dodgers uniform were published on the page of Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico.. It also states that the club filed a lawsuit challenging the ban; that challenge failed. but the club continues to maintain a website with an events calendar.
Beyond the current promotions. the report adds that Díaz has been featured in Puerto Rico media and advertising for cockfighting more than once.. An El Nuevo Día article dated March 10 is described as showing Díaz attending a multi-fight tournament and quoting the caption that portrays him taking advantage of a break from the World Baseball Classic to “unwind” with one of his hobbies.. The report adds that the article describes a tournament where his family entered multiple roosters.
Older reporting in Puerto Rico also appears in the record described by the report.. It states that in January 2018. Primera Hora reported that Díaz fought five roosters at a cockfighting club in San Juan. and that Martín Maldonado. then a major league catcher with the Los Angeles Angels who has since retired. fought eight roosters.. The report includes a description from Primera Hora’s coverage of one fight in which Díaz’s rooster was knocked down but later returned to win. alongside translated remarks attributed to Díaz.
The report also describes physical reminders of that world inside cockfighting venues. including paintings of Díaz and Maldonado displayed above cases holding roosters at Club Gallistico de Naguabo.. Separately, it notes that Maldonado joined the Atlanta Braves as a special assistant for major-league operations after retiring from MLB.
Díaz’s baseball career adds another layer to the current scrutiny.. The report says Díaz signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers after the 2025 season and references his season performance before he later ended up on injured reserve with an elbow injury.. It also notes arthroscopic surgery to remove fragments of bone and cartilage from his right elbow. with an expectation of return after the All-Star break in July.
Attention is also drawn to Edwin Díaz’s younger brother, Alexis Díaz.. The report states that Alexis Diaz is apparently linked to cockfighting as well. with a post on the Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico Facebook page showing him and describing him as representing members of the Puerto Rico arena in an effort to be crowned in the “Caribbean Grand Champion” tournament.. The report also says a 2024 Facebook event promotion includes Alexis Díaz in a Reds jersey.
It is not only tournament advertising that appears in the report.. In October 2024. WAPA-TV in Puerto Rico reported that Edwin Díaz and Alexis Díaz. along with reggaeton singer Wisin. organized a charity event at the Puerto Rico Cockfighting Club in Isla Verde to benefit a child with Duchesne muscular dystrophy.. The report emphasizes that it did not specify whether cockfighting was part of the event.
The reporting timeline described in the report spans months and includes additional operational details around fights.. It says an April 4 Facebook post described a rooster belonging to Alexis Díaz dying during fights at Club Gallístico de Puerto Rico while a rooster belonging to Edwin Díaz won.. The report also mentions that Alexis Díaz’s name appears in a Facebook video associated with a cockfight scheduled for January. where names are listed among matchups for the “Gran Campeon Caribeno” tournament on Jan.. 27.
At the same time. the report places Alexis Díaz’s current professional status in the context of baseball’s farm system.. It says Alexis Díaz currently plays for the Round Rock Express. the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.. When contacted for comment, the report says communication through the Rangers did not produce a response.
The debate around cockfighting in Puerto Rico is part of the broader reason this issue keeps coming back. even after federal restrictions.. The report explains that cockfighting involves breeding roosters for aggression. confining them in a small ring. and using tools that supporters and critics alike describe as designed to increase injury.. It also cites animal welfare concerns raised by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. including claims that cockfighting connects to other crimes such as gambling. drugs. and violence.
Legally. the report notes that cockfighting is a felony in the U.S.. including Puerto Rico. and that Congress closed a loophole in 2018 that had allowed cockfighting to continue without penalty in Puerto Rico and other territories.. It also recounts the legal steps that kept the ban in place: a federal district court upheld the prohibition in 2020. and the U.S.. Supreme Court declined to hear a legal challenge in 2021.
Enforcement has been a recurring point of criticism.. The report attributes concerns to Wayne Pacelle. founder and president of Animal Wellness Action. who said enforcement of the ban had been “anemic.” The report also describes that the DOJ and its related investigative units are involved. with the U.S.. Department of Agriculture Office of Investigations cited as the primary investigative agency and the FBI also investigating animal fighting ventures.
Meanwhile, the report says the DOJ’s Puerto Rico and FBI liaison indicated that local police could be within their authority to investigate, highlighting how criminal enforcement can depend on coordination between federal and local systems.
There is also a parallel scrutiny from horse racing regulators, tied specifically to the Ortiz brothers.. Records described by the report show that the Kentucky Horse Racing & Gaming Corporation (KHRG) conducted an investigation into Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz following reports they participated in a cockfighting event.. The report says the investigation did not result in any action. and that stewards met the brothers before deciding not to take administrative action.
However, the report underscores a key limitation: the scope of what racing regulators can pursue off the track.. It quotes KHRG’s chief legal officer saying there would be no further comment at this time. and it includes that Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority does not have authority to investigate off-track conduct. with that responsibility resting with licensing commissions.. The report adds that no racing commission has announced disciplinary action against the Ortiz brothers.
Not all racing-related responses are the same, even when allegations circulate.. The report includes a statement attributed to the California Horse Racing Board saying it is aware of the allegations but that evidentiary and authority limits prevent it from pursuing an investigation and complaint for rule violations at this time.
As public attention builds around the topic, advocacy groups have also reacted.. The report says PETA sent a letter to board members of the Eclipse Awards urging them to make Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz ineligible for future Eclipse Award nominations. citing a video posted on X showing the brothers at a cockfighting event.. It includes that PETA’s senior vice president for equine matters wrote that participation in cockfighting is detrimental to racing and described it as an issue the racing industry should not tolerate.
For now, the story sits at a tense intersection of sport, culture, and enforcement.. The Ortiz brothers’ upcoming ride in the Preakness Stakes remains on the schedule. while Edwin Díaz continues his recovery from an elbow injury under the Dodgers’ plan.. The athletes at the center of these allegations have not been shown responding to requests for comment. leaving the public to reconcile what it sees in the promotions and reports with what regulators and courts have been able—or unable—to act on.
Kentucky Derby Jose Ortiz Irad Ortiz Jr cockfighting Puerto Rico Edwin Díaz Eclipse Awards