Report: MLB and Cleveland Likely Knew About Mickey Callaway's Sexual Harassment


A February report alleged former Cleveland coach Mickey Callaway sent inappropriate photographs and unsolicited messages to five women in sports media.

Following a recent report of former Mets manager and current Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway's sexual harassment, MLB and Cleveland likely knew about his behavior when he worked for the club, according to The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang.

In a report published by The Athletic on Feb. 1, five women spoke about their experiences with Callaway over a five-year span, with one woman calling his behavior "the worst-kept secret in sports." Callaway reportedly sent inappropriate photographs and unsolicited messages to "at least five women who work in sports media."

The following day the Angels suspended Callaway and said they will work closely with MLB, which is investigating his conduct during his employment with multiple organizations.

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported Callaway has denied any wrongdoing, which protects him from being fired without an investigation.

On Feb. 4, Cleveland president Chris Antonetti addressed the media, saying he was "disturbed, distraught and saddened" by the accounts about Callaway, who worked for the organization from 2010 to '17. Antonetti said he became aware of the accounts when reading the Feb. 1 report.

"There had never been any complaints against Mickey in his time with us, either to me or to our human resources department or other leaders," Antonetti said in the news conference.

Since the first report's publication, additional women have spoken to The Athletic to share their accounts of Callaway "sending them inappropriate messages and/or photos, making unwanted advances and more while they worked for [Cleveland]."

In 2017, a man repeatedly called the club's fan services department to report that Callaway had sent "pornographic material" to his wife. According to The Athletic, Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and manager Terry Francona were made aware of the man's story. During a recorded phone call, a team attorney spoke with the wife and said Cleveland was "frickin' pissed as hell" at Callaway. The husband reportedly was contacted by an MLB security official, and the man later emailed the league directly about Callaway.

"I laughed out loud when I saw the quote (in the original report) that said it was the worst-kept secret in baseball, because it was," a Cleveland employee told The Athletic. "It was the worst-kept secret in the organization."

On Monday, Mets president Sandy Alderson said the team was "shortsighted" in its hiring process when vetting Callaway. 

Alderson hired Callaway in October 2017, after he had served as Cleveland's pitching coach. Callaway spent two seasons as the Mets' manager before being fired and landing a job with the Angels. 

According to The Athletic, the Mets learned in August 2018 of an incident involving Callaway that took place before New York hired him. While the team reportedly investigated the matter, the Mets declined to reveal the nature of the incident or its outcome.