The Los Angeles Angels announced Tuesday that they have suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway in the wake of The Athletic’s report that he sexually harassed female reporters in a span of five years.
The team said it “will work closely with MLB to conduct a full investigation.”
Callaway was accused by five women of inappropriate behavior that included sending shirtless photographs, a request for nude pictures and other advances, The Athletic reported. The women, who spoke to The Athletic under the condition of anonymity, all worked in sports media at the time of their interactions with Callaway, which spanned five years and included his run as New York Mets manager and pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians.
In an emailed response to The Athletic, Callaway wrote: “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. Any relationship in which I 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 announced Monday that it will begin an investigation into Callaway and said in a statement that it has “never been notified of any allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior” by him. In a statement, Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey wrote: “The behavior being reported violates the Angels Organization’s values and policies. We take this very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB.”