Greg Beacham / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Angels suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway after allegations of obscene behavior towards women in the sports media.
“Last night we were informed of the complaints reported at The Athletic,” said the team said. “This morning we suspended Mickey Callaway and will work closely with the MLB to conduct a full investigation.”
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez provided more context:
The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang talked to five women (all referred to by pseudonyms) about Callaway’s behavior, with a woman saying “it was the most badly kept secret of sports”:
“The five women pursued by Callaway described a pattern in which he regularly contacted them via email, text messages or social media, and often a combination of the three. His search put them in a difficult position at work, given what considered a total power imbalance. Women were forced to weigh the professional ramifications of rejecting him. “
Callaway responded to the allegations by email:
“Rather than rushing to respond to these general allegations I just learned, I look forward to an opportunity to provide more specific answers. Any relationship I was involved in was consensual, and my conduct was in no way intended to be disrespectful to any woman involved. I am married and my wife has been informed of these general allegations. “
Angels spokesman Marie Garvey issued a statement shortly after the report was published: “The reported behavior violates the values and policies of the Organization of Angels. We take these allegations very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with the MLB.”
Callaway managed Mets in 2018 and 2019. Samantha, a New York-based reporter, told Ghiroli and Strang that he had sent her shirtless selfies on several occasions and asked her to reciprocate. The woman also said that Callaway would massage her shoulders at the shelter.
Callaway continued to send messages to Samantha by joining the Angels, with Samantha calling him “completely unforgiving”.
Another New York reporter, Anne, said that Callaway wanted to get drunk with her in exchange for information about what was going on with the Mets. She said he would also make unprofessional comments about his appearance when they cross paths.
A different woman, Lauren, said she interviewed Callaway shortly after he took over as manager of the Mets. During the course of the interview, he “he put his leg on top of a handrail to ‘peacock her’, pushing his groin close to her face. “
Lauren went on to say that “I felt that I had to maintain this friendly personality and be polite to him” in order to do his job duties.
The charges against Callaway came less than a month after ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Jeff Passan reported sending Jared Porter, now a former Mets general manager.explicit and unsolicited texts and images “for a reporter in 2016. The franchise fired Porter the day after the report was published.
Ghiroli and Strang noted that Mets president Sandy Alderson was part of the hiring process for Callaway and Porter and that the Mets had investigated Callaway for an incident that happened before their hiring:
“Mets, when contacted by The Athletic, said that in August 2018 – about 10 months after Callaway joined the organization – the team learned of an incident that occurred before hiring him. The team investigated the matter, a spokesman said. voice, but refused to reveal the nature of the incident, the outcome of that investigation or whether Callaway was disciplined. Callaway continued to manage the rest of the season. “
Alderson said that “I was not aware of the conduct described in the story at the time of hiring Mickey or at any time during my tenure as (GM)”.
Tim Healey @Timbhealey
Sandy Alderson: “I didn’t know about the behavior described in the story when Mickey was hired or at any time during my tenure as (GM). We have already started a review of our hiring processes to ensure that our assessment of new employees is more complete and comprehensive. ”Https://t.co/3b5cdN8wdK
The Angels hired Callaway as their pitch coach in October 2019, shortly after his resignation from the Mets. Before moving to New York, the 45-year-old spent five seasons as Clevelandpitching coach.
In The Athletic’s report, Samantha argued that “even an ounce” of vetoing Callaway’s personal life by potential employers would have raised red flags about his behavior.