Francona: No cover-up for pitching coach

CLEVELAND — Indians manager Terry Francona said no one in the Cleveland organization “covered up” for former pitching coach Mickey Callaway, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball following allegations of sexual harassment.

In a story Tuesday, The Athletic reported that 12 current and former Indians

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employees have come forward in the last month to say the Indians were aware of Callaway’s inappropriate behavior while he was their pitching coach from 2013-17.

“Nobody’s ever deliberately covered up for anybody, I can tell you that,” Francona said on a Zoom call from the team’s spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona.

Francona was asked if he was troubled by the report.

“I have never worked in a place where I have more respect for people than here,” said the two-time World Series winner, starting his ninth season with Cleveland. “And I’ve been very fortunate to work for some wonderful people. I believe that in my heart.

“I don’t think today is the day to go into details, things like that. I do hope there is a day, because I think it would be good, and I think it’s necessary,” he said.

“Our organization continues to actively cooperate with MLB on their investigation into Mickey Callaway,” the team said in a statement. “It is important we honor the confidentiality and integrity of that investigation. While we don’t believe the reporting to date reflects who we are as an organization, we will not comment further on the specifics of this matter.”

Shortly before Francona spoke to the media, his son, Nick, posted on Twitter that he had read the new story on Callaway and confronted his father. The younger Francona said the Indians “are clearly in the wrong.”

Francona, 61, said his son’s comments were painful.

Last month, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said he wasn’t aware of Callaway’s behavior until he read about it in a story by the Athletic, which detailed Callaway’s pursuit of women over a five-year period with three teams.

Callaway was Cleveland’s pitching coach from 2013-17 before he was hired to manage the New York Mets. He is now suspended as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach.