The Los Angeles Angels have suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway over a report by The Athletic in which five women accused Callaway of lewd behavior.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey wrote: “Late yesterday we were informed of the allegations reported in The Athletic. This morning we suspended Mickey Callaway and will work closely with MLB to complete a full investigation. to be carried out.”
Callaway initially denied wrongdoing, a source told ESPN, preventing the Angels from firing him without proper reason that could be obtained from an investigation. MLB and the Angels hope to complete that study relatively soon, perhaps before the start of spring training, the source said.
The five women, all of whom spoke anonymously to The Athletic and worked in sports media, accused Callaway of inappropriate behavior, including sending shirtless photos, requesting nude photos and, in one case, punching his crotch in the face of a reporter while tried an interview. The conduct spanned five years and his tenure with three organizations, including his stint as a pitching coach with Cleveland Indians and manager of New York Mets.
In an email response to The Athletic on Monday, Callaway wrote, “Rather than rushing to respond to these blanket allegations that I have just been made aware of, I look forward to an opportunity to provide more specific responses. has been agreed, and my conduct was in no way intended to be disrespectful to the women involved. I am married and my wife has been made aware of these general allegations. “
The Athletic’s story came two weeks after ESPN reported on a series of explicit, unsolicited text messages sent to a female reporter by now-former Mets general manager Jared Porter in 2016, including an image of an erect penis. Porter was promptly fired, but he owned the offense.