Indians deny covering up for pitching coach
Responding to claims the team protected Mickey Callaway, Indians manager Terry Francona said no one in the Cleveland organization “covered up” for the former pitching coach who’s under investigation by Major League Baseball following allegations of sexual harassment.
Callaway is currently suspended as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach, pending the MLB inquiry.
The Athletic reported Tuesday that 12 current and former Indians employees came forward in the last month to say Callaway’s actions were so obvious inside the team that “it would have been difficult for top officials to not be aware of his behavior.”
Callaway’s alleged lewd behavior while he was with the Indians from 2013-17 included sending inappropriate photos, requesting nude photos in return and making women “feel uncomfortable.”
“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.
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.”
“Their behavior is unacceptable, and even worse, it’s hard to have faith in them to improve and learn when they seem more concerned about covering up wrongdoings that addressing them honestly,” Nick Francona wrote.
The 61-year-old Francona, who managed only 14 games last season because of health issues, said his son’s comments were painful.
According to The Athletic report, some of the employees found it difficult to believe the Indians were caught off-guard by the Callaway accusations.
“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,” one unidentified former employee told The Athletic. “It was the worst-kept secret in the organization.”
NFL
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Rudolph is fifth in franchise history with both 453 catches and 48 touchdown receptions. He was due to make $7.65 million in 2021. By terminating his contract with three years remaining, the Vikings will carry a salary cap hit of $4.35 million in dead money this season.
The 31-year-old Rudolph started 98 consecutive games including the playoffs until a foot injury kept him out of the final four weeks last season.
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Free agency begins March 17, although teams can negotiate with unrestricted free agents two days prior. Clowney played eight games for the Tennessee Titans in 2020 before he landed on injured reserve.
ATTORNEY FOR GIRL INJURED IN CRASH CALLS FOR ‘MOST SERIOUS’ CHARGES >> An attorney for the family of a 5-yearold girl seriously injured in a car crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid said he will advocate for the “most serious” charges to be brought against Reid.
Reid, 35, was driving his car on Feb. 4 when he ended up in multivehicle collision days ahead of the most recent Super Bowl game between the Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he was expected to be part of the coaching staff.
“We are going to be advocating for the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt Reid could receive,” attorney Tom Porto, who is representing the family of the girl injured in the collision, told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reid, who is the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, is no longer employed by the team.
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