World Series MVP Ben Zobrist Sues Pastor Who Allegedly Had Affair With His Wife

A World Series MVP is making headlines, but not for his play on the baseball diamond. Former MLB player Ben Zobrist is suing his pastor, whom he claims had an affair with his wife and stole funds from his foundation.

The Peoria Journal Star obtained a copy of the lawsuit, which was filed in May in a Tennessee circuit court. Zobrist accused Byron Yawn, a former pastor at Community Bible Church in Nashville, of defrauding his charity.

Zobrist is suing Yawn for $6 million in damages. Yawn is also the CEO of Forrest Crain & Co., a Nashville-area business-consulting firm.

In 2005, Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, started attending Community Bible Church. The lawsuit alleges that Julianna Zobrist and Yawn began talking daily in August 2018 and the relationship turned sexual in the first half of 2019.

Yawn counseled the couple both before and after they were married. The pastor and Zobrist’s wife communicated with burner phones, one of which Yawn’s wife found in May 2019.

That month, Zobrist took an indefinite leave of absence from the Chicago Cubs after filing for divorce. Zobrist didn’t play for the team again until September, losing about $8 million in income, according to the lawsuit.

Yawn earned a $3,500 monthly salary from Patriot Forward, Zobrist’s non-for-profit group that was founded to help professional athletes with their mental health and prepare for life after sports. Yawn was paid until he was fired in May 2019, and the lawsuit alleges that his checks were issued fraudulently, according to The Peoria Journal Star.

Zobrist donated an average of $10,000 monthly to Community Bible Church. The lawsuit says that Yawn took advantage of Zobrist’s status as a professional athlete.

"Mr. Yawn often capitalized on the Plaintiff's celebrity," the lawsuit states, "asking him to sign autographs for his mother-in-law; requesting tickets to baseball games; hosting 'Guys Night Out' for the church at Mr. Zobrist's home; (requesting) that Mr. Zobrist send personal videos to parishioners who were being baptized; and nominating Mr. Zobrist as a deacon of Community Bible Church in hopes that his celebrity would attract new parishioners and keep current parishioners."

Zobrist’s career ended after the 2019 MLB season. He played for four different teams over 14 seasons, making three All-Star teams and winning two World Series championships. Zobrist’s career earnings totaled more than $78 million.