Callaway accused of inappropriate behavior by multiple women
Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway is facing lewd behavior accusations from at least five women working in sports media, according to Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic.
The accusations date back to Callaway's tenure as the New York Mets' manager and his time as a coach with the Cleveland Indians.
One woman said that Callaway - managing the Mets at the time - asked for her phone number in 2018. After that, she said Callaway bombarded her with inappropriate photos of himself "two or three times a week for a month."
Another woman said Callaway sent her dozens of emails from his official Mets account, commenting on her appearance. She told Ghiroli and Strang that the 45-year-old offered her information on the Mets if she would "go get drunk" with him.
"Rather than rush to respond to these general allegations of which I have just been made aware, I look forward to an opportunity to provide more specific responses," Callaway said in a statement. "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. I am married and my wife has been made aware of these general allegations."
Major League Baseball told Ghiroli and Strang that it has "never been notified of any allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior" against Callaway. The Angels issued a statement, saying the allegations "violate the Angels organization's values and policies. We take this very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB."
The Mets didn't release a statement, but they told Ghiroli and Strang that the club investigated a report about Callaway's behavior while he managed the team in 2018. New York didn't provide further details.
Early Tuesday morning, president Sandy Alderson - who hired Callaway while serving as general manager of the Mets - said he found the report appalling.
"I was unaware of the conduct described in the story at the time of Mickey's hire or at any time during my tenure as general manager," Alderson said, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. "We have already begun a review of our hiring processes to ensure our vetting of new employees is more thorough and comprehensive."
Cleveland, which employed Callaway as its pitching coach from 2013 to 2017, released a statement after the article was published.
"We were made aware for the first time tonight of the allegations in The Athletic regarding Mickey Callaway's behavior toward women," the Indians said, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "We are currently reviewing the matter internally and in consultation with Major League Baseball to determine appropriate next steps."
The Mets hired Callaway as their manager before the 2018 season, and they fired him two years later. Several months after that, the Angels hired him as a pitching coach.