Puig changing plea to not guilty of lying in gambling case

NEW YORK (AP) — Former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig has decided to withdraw his agreement to plead guilty to a charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation. Puig is changing his plea to not guilty because of “significant new evidence,” according to a statement from his attorneys in Los Angeles. The former All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers says he wants to clear his name and he never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. Puig’s lawyer says he had untreated mental-health issues and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him for his interview via Zoom with federal investigators in January.