Fired clubhouse attendant sues MLB, Angels; claims to be 'scapegoat'

A former clubhouse attendant has filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Angels after being fired in March for providing pitchers with an illegal sticky substance to help them with their grips, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

The attorneys for Brian "Bubba" Harkins allege MLB depicted their client as a "scapegoat" to curb the use of foreign substances.

The complaint - filed in Orange County Superior Court on Aug. 28 - lists defamation and false light as causes of action against MLB and the Angels, as well as labor-code violations as a cause of action against the club.

After Harkins learned to create a sticky concoction comprised of rosin, pine tar, and Mota stick from an unnamed player, he began providing it to pitchers "as a courtesy," according to the complaint. The unnamed former player is presumably Troy Percival, who pitched for the Angels from 1995-2004.

The complaint states Harkin never applied the material himself and says the former attendant didn't supply an illegal substance since rosin and pine tar were common in clubhouses.

Harkins had worked with the Angels for four decades before his firing.