NEWARK, N.J. — Mike Piazza will not interfere with the family controversy surrounding Ted Williams' body.
The Mets catcher will comply with the request made by the lawyer representing Williams' estate. Piazza had contacted Williams' daughter, Bobby Jo Ferrell, offering help in removing Williams' body from the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona.
"I looked into it and then I got into some legal things," Piazza said Saturday after the Mets lost to the Houston Astros 7-4. "I looked into memorializing him but there is some litigation pending so I'll wait to see how it turns out."
The estate's lawyer, Peter Sutton, of Boston, asked that Piazza and his father back away and warned Piazza's agent the two men could be sued, the Star-Ledger of Newark reported.
"We understand where he was coming from, and we thank him for his decision," Sutton told the newspaper. "He just needed to hear the facts."
The Piazzas' link to Williams dates back nearly 20 years, when Williams saw the then-16-year-old athlete hit in a batting cage. "When he passed, there was never a proper ceremony for him," Piazza said. "As much as he did for the game, there was nothing to honor him and reflect on what he accomplished.
"We did some research and unfortunately it's a legal situation. Hopefully, someday he'll be laid to rest."