Former Mets manager Mickey Callaway bombarded women who covered him with unsolicited and unwanted sexual messages, according to a report in the Athletic on Monday night.
Callaway’s behavior was consistent across his coaching career, according to the report. Five women described behavior that included “inappropriate” pictures of him and requests for nude photos.
Callaway “thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him,” among other behavior, according to the report from Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang. Several women say Callaway made them uncomfortable with unwanted comments about their bodies and clothing.
One woman said that Callaway gave her unwanted massages in the dugout and sent her a stream of requests for naked photos. This woman said that Callaway’s behavior towards her spanned his time in New York and Anaheim.
Another said that when Callaway was Mets manager, he offered to exchange inside information for getting drunk with him.
Callaway is the Angels’ pitching coach, a job he’s held since being fired by the Mets after the 2019 season. He remained employed in that position as of Monday evening.
“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 to The Athletic. “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.”
The Mets told the publication that they “learned of an incident” deep into Callaway’s first season with the team, but did not say anything beyond that. The Angels said that they “take this very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB.”
Current team president Sandy Alderson hired Callaway to be the 21st manager in franchise history in 2017. Callaway, 45, joined the Mets after five years as the Indians pitching coach.
“All of us came out of it excited for the possibility that Mickey would be our manager,” Alderson said of Callaway’s ultimately successful interview to be the Mets manager in 2017. “That’s a visceral reaction, not one that you can put down on a checklist, but to me that said everything. I think it was consistent throughout.”
Alderson recently admitted that he didn’t speak to any women in the hiring of disgraced former GM Jared Porter, who was fired after ESPN reported he sexually harassed a reporter while a Cubs employee.
“That’s one of the unfortunate circumstances that exist in the game today,” Alderson said of Porter last month. “There aren’t women in those positions with whom one can have a conversation and develop information or check references.”