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There had been speculation the Cubs would cut ties with Russell following his ex-wife's allegations, but the team gave him a one-year deal.

Addison Russell addresses abuse allegations: 'I am accountable for my past actions'

Cubs shortstop Addison Russell broke his media silence Friday, expressing regret after accusations he verbally and physically abused his ex-wife.

“I’m sorry for the hurt that I caused,” Russell said (via the Chicago Sun-Times). “I’m trying my best efforts to become a better person.

“I know that there’s been a lot that has been said and reported, I don’t want to get into [the details.] I am accountable for my past actions, I’m not proud of the person I was, but I do want to own this issue.”

Russell is currently serving a 40-game suspension for violating MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. That suspension is retroactive to Sept. 21, meaning he will sit out the team's first 29 games of 2019. He is eligible to participate in spring training with the club.

MLB placed Russell on administrative leave in September after a blog post by his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy-Russell, alleged emotional, verbal and physical abuse by Russell.

Russell had denied the allegations in written statements last year and earlier this year. But in his first meeting with reporters since Sept. 21, he said he wanted to "own" his actions, and that after undergoing counseling he has a better understanding of domestic abuse.

“I want to be accountable for the hurt that I put Melisa through and the pain that she went through,” Russell said. "That’s what I want to own.”

While there had been speculation the Cubs would cut ties with Russell following his ex-wife's allegations, the team gave him a one-year, $3.4 million deal in January.

“I’m fully committed to the work (off-field/therapy)," Russell said. "This is my main focus. I believe the baseball aspect of things will handle themselves.”

Russell, who hit 21 home runs and drove in 95 runs in the Cubs' 2016 World Series championship season, hit five home runs and slashed .250/.317/.340 in 420 at-bats in 2018.

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