OC Register: Angels suspend pitching coach Mickey Callaway amid alleged misconduct toward women

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway on Tuesday morning, after the publication of a story in which five women accused him of lewd behavior over the past five years.

“Late yesterday we were made aware of the allegations reported in The Athletic,” Angels spokesperson Marie Garvey said in a statement. “This morning we suspended Mickey Callaway, and will work closely with MLB to conduct a full investigation.”

The Angels still could fire Callaway after concluding an investigation.

In the story published Monday night in The Athletic, the women said Callaway aggressively pursued them through texts and social media while they worked in sports media, often sending shirtless photos of himself and in at least one case requesting nude photos in return.

Callaway, 45, was also accused of thrusting his crotch in the face of a female reporter during a one-on-one interview, and offering to provide a reporter information if she would “get drunk” with him.

The Athletic quoted a statement from Callaway in which he said he looked forward to specifically responding to the allegations in the future. He added: “Any relationship in which I was engaged has been consensual, and my conduct was in no way intended to be disrespectful to any women involved.”

The first documented incident occurred while Callaway was the Cleveland Indians pitching coach in 2015. They continued through his two years as manager of the New York Mets, in 2018 and 2019. At least one of the women from New York said Callaway continued pursuing her after he became the Angels pitching coach in October 2019.

The women told The Athletic that Callaway’s pattern of behavior was well known by women in the baseball industry, calling into question how he could have been hired by the Mets and the Angels.

“How would that be possible? At this point, it’s his reputation,” the woman said. “If they are vetting him, even an ounce of his personal life should reveal this.”

For the Mets, it marked the second embarrassing revelation in three weeks.

Jared Porter was fired last month as Mets general manager after a woman came forward and said Porter had harassed her years earlier, while she was in the media and he was working in the Chicago Cubs front office.

Porter had been a finalist for the Angels GM job in November, about a month before the Mets hired him.

This time, the Angels joined the Mets in making a hire that later would prompt questions.

Callaway was fired as Mets manager in October 2019, after a second consecutive unsuccessful season. The Angels, who were hiring a new staff under new manager Joe Maddon, quickly hired Callaway as their pitching coach.

Callaway had been known as one of baseball’s best pitching coaches after his five seasons helping the Indians become one of the most effective pitching staffs in the majors.

Maddon also knew Callaway from their time together with the Angels. Callaway spent parts of two seasons of his unspectacular playing career as a pitcher with the Angels, in 2002 and 2003, when Maddon was the bench coach.

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Unless Callaway is exonerated before the start of spring training in two weeks, the Angels might need to find a new pitching coach.

The easiest move would be to promote bullpen coach Matt Wise, who was with the staff last year and has presumably been involved in all the organization’s discussions about pitching. Before joining the big-league staff, in 2020, Wise was a roving pitching instructor in the Angels’ farm system.

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[SlappyUtilityMIF]

I'm not accepting or condoing this inappropriate behavior. But, it does have to make you wonder why female reporters had to be inside the clubhouse post/pregame as dudes are showering, or running around in their jocks, or just walking around naked?

 

[Inside Pitch]

So.....  "Teams should have known" and these guys "should have been vetted" but the talk is always how women fear saying anything for fear of retribution.  

I don't doubt what they are saying is true, but if they talked about it amongst themselves yet never made it be known to MLB, their own networks, or the teams themselves out of fear it might hurt them professionally .... how would anyone in power know or be able to hold people accountable?  Kind of seems like a chicken vs egg situation.   

MLB needs to set up some phone line for shit like this where claims can be made anonymously or something.  How something like that doesn't already exist seems ridiculous.