Yahoo Finance Terry Francona responds to new Mickey Callaway allegations: 'Nobody's ever deliberately covered up'
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is trying to perform damage control after new allegations of predatory behavior were made against former pitching coach Mickey Callaway.
Callaway — who was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women in February — was reportedly involved in at least one incident that multiple executives with Cleveland — including Francona — knew about when Callaway was with the team.
Francona addressed the situation Tuesday, though initially gave a non answer when asked about Callaway. Francona eventually said "nobody's ever deliberately covered up for anybody" in reference to Callaway's behavior.
Francona: "Nobody's ever deliberately covered up for anybody, I can tell you that."
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 2, 2021
Francona also praised the organization, saying he's "never worked in a place where I have more respect for people than here."
#Indians manager Terry Francona: "I have never worked in a place where I have more respect for people than here. And I've been very fortunate to work for some wonderful people. I believe that in my heart."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) March 2, 2021
Mickey Callaway's behavior was well known in Cleveland
In a piece published in The Athletic on Tuesday, Callaway is accused of engaging in a consensual extra-marital affair with another woman. The woman's husband found out about the affair and contacted the team. Cleveland executives — including president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and Francona — reportedly got involved. When asked about Callaway in February, Antonetti said there were no complaints about Callaway when he was with the team.
In addition to that, multiple sources told The Athletic that Callaway's behavior was well known in the organization. Callaway reportedly made inappropriate comments about women and fans in 2010, when Callaway was working in the minors leagues. Once Callaway was promoted to Cleveland's pitching coach, his behavior allegedly got worse. The wives of the team's players noticed this, and reportedly shared those concerns within the organization, though no formal complaints were filed. One Indians employee called Callaway's behavior "the worst-kept secret in the organization.”
Following his time with Cleveland, Callaway was hired as the New York Mets' manager. He lasted two seasons with the team and was fired in 2019. That October, Callaway joined the Los Angeles Angels as the team's new pitching coach. He was suspended by the team after the allegations emerged in February. Callaway remains employed by the Angels while the team continues to investigate the situation.
Terry Francona's son Nick issues statement
Francona's son, Nick, issued a statement Tuesday saying he confronted his dad over Callaway's behavior, and that Terry "simply doesn't get it."
This isn’t easy, but it needs to be said. Here is my statement: https://t.co/g90fYnptH6 pic.twitter.com/hAR8tc02Zz
— Nick Francona (@NickFrancona) March 2, 2021
Terry Francona responded to Nick's statement, saying it was "a very difficult thing to see."
#Indians manager Terry Francona on comments from his son, Nick: "I love all my children, unconditionally. As you can imagine, that's a very difficult thing to see, so to deal with it publicly is hurtful."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) March 2, 2021
Nick Francona previously worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was fired by the Dodgers in 2016 after a spat with Gabe Kapler. Nick Francona believed he was pushed out of the organization after seeking an assessment at a mental health clinic geared to assist military veterans. MLB investigated the Dodgers over Francona's firing.
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