KANSAS CITY -- Royals general manager Dayton Moore didn't mince words and didn't hide his disappointment in discussing the news that left-hander Danny Duffy had been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence on Sunday night.
Duffy was cited for a DUI at a fast-food restaurant in nearby Overland Park. His first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19.
"We'll support him," Moore said at a news conference at Kauffman Stadium hours before Tuesday's game against the Rays. "But obviously there are consequences for your actions. That's the way life works. That's the way it should work. That's the way we expect it to work.
"It's disappointing. It's regretful. I'm not interested in any alibis, or any excuses. There are no excuses."
Moore said he learned of the incident from Duffy on Monday night during the Royals' 12-0 loss to the Rays. Moore also said the Royals are in the early stages of gathering more information about the matter, and that once the legal process was completed, he wasn't sure if there would be any disciplinary action against Duffy from the team or the league.
"The most important thing right now is to be accountable," Moore said. "I'm reminded constantly that these guys are human beings. For us to put our faith in an athlete or a person as a perfect vessel, someone who always makes the right choices, is a failed way to live your life.
"He's hurting right now. I'm glad he's hurting. He needs to feel shame. He needs to never forget. It's real, and it's life-changing. Hopefully it never happens again."
Before Moore spoke, Duffy spoke about the incident, but did not take questions.
"I just wanted to say for the situation at hand, I wanted to apologize for the distraction, especially where the team is at right now," Duffy said. "Regardless if we had been on a run or not, this is never a good time for this situation to come about. For every kid out there that looks up to me or that's read a headline … I'll continue to do great for the city. I promise you that. You all know me, this is very difficult for me to go through. When everything comes out and shakes out, I will be better because of it."
Duffy's DUI arrest is the second by a Royals player in the 11-year tenure of Moore. The other came in 2008 when Alberto Callaspo was arrested with a DUI.
"I take this personally when our players fail off the field," Moore said. "This is not what Mr. [David] Glass expects of our players representing our city, our fan base. We take it personally when they fail off the field."
The Royals are an organization still mindful of a horrific offseason in which right-hander Yordano Ventura died tragically in an early-morning auto accident in the Dominican Republic.
Moore said the Royals devote a lot of time and energy to educating their players on making smart choices.
"We've done a lot of leadership stuff," Moore said. "A lot of awareness and speaking. I personally met with every single one of our players in small groups about making the right choices. That's why we spend so much time in the Draft making sure we bring in players with good character."
Moore added there was one bright spot to the Duffy incident: No one was injured.
"Actually, he's very fortunate," Moore said. "It could be worse. We've all been affected by these situations when they were worse. Maybe he got lucky."