Yet another now-former member of the New York Mets organization has been accused of inappropriate behavior toward female reporters.
Katie Strang and Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic revealed on Monday night that former Mets manager and current Los Angeles Angels pitching coach, Mickey Callaway, “aggressively pursued at least five women who work in sports media.”
It included the sending of inappropriate text messages and emails, including asking one of them to send nude photos.
“He sent them unsolicited electronic messages and regularly commented on their appearance in a manner that made them uncomfortable,” the report read. “In one instance, he thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him. In another, he told one of the women that if she got drunk with him he’d share information about the Mets.”
Two of the five women that reached out to Ghiroli and Strang were New York-based reporters who opted to stay anonymous.
The Mets were aware of an incident involving Callaway when he was a member of the Cleveland Indians — he served as their pitching coach from 2010-2017 — in Aug. 2018, approximately 10 months after he was hired as manager. They investigated but did not offer insight on if he was disciplined. Callaway lasted just two years as Mets manager, getting the ax following the 2019 season.
“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 told The Athletic. “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.”
The now-45-year-old was hired by current Mets president Sandy Alderson, who was general manager of the club at the time before he was fired in 2018.
This development further casts doubt on the Mets’ president, who had to fire general manager Jared Porter less than two weeks ago after it was discovered he sent lewd and explicit text messages to a female reporter back in 2016 when he was working with the Chicago Cubs.
It is important to note that Alderson stepped down in June of 2018, two months before the Mets learned of that incident, to focus on his health after being diagnosed with cancer. However, Callaway’s behavior toward female reporters had been described as the “worst-kept secret in baseball.”
“I was appalled by the actions reported today of former manager Mickey Callaway,” Alderson said in a statement. “I was unaware of the conduct described in the story at the time of Mickey’s hire or at any time during my tenure as General Manager.
“We have already begun a review of our hiring processes to ensure our vetting of new employees is more thorough and comprehensive.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen, who took over in November, chimed in.
“The conduct reported in The Athletic story today is completely unacceptable and would never be tolerated under my ownership,” he said.
