Greg Beacham / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Angels have suspended coach Mickey Callaway following allegations of lewd behavior toward women in sports media.
“Late yesterday we were made aware of the allegations reported in The Athletic,” the team said said. “We suspended Mickey Callaway this morning and will work closely with MLB to conduct a full investigation.”
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez provided more context:
The Athletics’s Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang spoke to five women (all of whom are referred to by pseudonyms) about Callaway’s behavior, with one woman saying, ‘that was the worst secret in sports’:
The five women pursued by Callaway described a pattern in which he contacted them regularly via email, text message or on social media, and often a combination of the three. His pursuit put them in a difficult position at work, given what they saw as a strong imbalance in power. The women had to weigh the professional consequences of repelling him. ‘
Callaway responded to the allegations in an email:
“Instead of responding to these general allegations that I have just become acquainted with, I look forward to an opportunity to provide more specific answers. Any relationship I was engaged in was consensus, and my behavior was by no means intended. “to be contemptuous of any woman involved. I’m married and my wife has been made aware of these common allegations.”
Marie Garvey, spokeswoman for the Angels a statement issued shortly after the report was published: “The conduct reported violates the English organization’s values and policies. We take these allegations very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB.”
Callaway managed the Mets in 2018 and 2019. Samantha, a reporter in New York, told Ghiroli and Strang he had sent her shirtless selfies several times and asked her to return. The woman also said Callaway would massage her shoulders in the dive.
Callaway continued to send a message to Samantha when she joined the Angels, and Samantha calls him ‘completely relentless’.
Another New York reporter, Anne, said Callaway wanted to get drunk with her in exchange for information about what was happening to the Mets. She said he would also make unprofessional remarks about her appearance when they cross paths.
Another woman, Lauren, said she interviewed Callaway shortly after he took over as Mets manager. In the course of the interview he ‘puts his leg on a railing to ‘peacock’ her, and sticks his crotch near her face. ‘
Lauren followed, saying that she ‘felt I had to maintain this personality of kindness and politeness towards him’ in order to fulfill the duties of her job.
The allegations against Callaway come less than a month after ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Jeff Passan reported on former Mets general manager Jared Porter.explicit, unsolicited texts and images’ to a female reporter in 2016. The franchise fired Porter one day after the report was published.
Ghiroli and Strang noted that Mets president Sandy Alderson was part of the process of hiring both Callaway and Porter and that the Mets were investigating Callaway for an incident that occurred before his appointment:
“The Mets, when contacted by The Athletic, said that in August 2018, about ten months after Callaway joined the organization, the team learned of an incident that took place before he hired him. “investigation, a spokesman said, but refused to disclose the nature of the incident, the outcome of the investigation and whether Callaway was disciplined. Callaway continued for the rest of the season.”
Alderson said he was ‘unaware of the behavior described in the story at the time of Mickey’s hiring or at any time during my tenure as (GM)’.
Tim Healey @timbhealey
Sandy Alderson: ‘I was not aware of the behavior described in the story while hiring Mickey or at any time in my office as (GM). We have already begun a review of our hiring processes to ensure that the investigation of new employees is more thorough and comprehensive. ”Https://t.co/3b5cdN8wdK
The English hired Callaway as their coach in October 2019, shortly after his dismissal from the Mets. Before moving to New York, the 45-year-old spent five seasons as Clevelandsee pitching coach.
In The Athletic report, Samantha argues that “even a grain of salt” to investigate potential employers in Callaway’s personal life would have dropped red flags about his behavior.