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Mickey Callaway is no longer pitching coach for the Angels as he was fired by the team on Wednesday, the same day he was suspended by Major League Baseball through at least the 2022 season following accusations of sexual harassment.
A report from The Athletic on Feb. 1 had five different women accusing Callaway of sexual harassment and described his alleged lewd behavior in detail. The Angels suspended him the next day, pending MLB investigation.
One month later, another report from The Athletic had even more women come forward, including 12 former Cleveland employees and 22 people who interacted with Callaway during his time in Cleveland:
They say that Callaway’s sexual indiscretions permeated the workplace to such an extent that it would have been difficult for top officials to not be aware of his behavior, and they push back against any assertion that Callaway’s actions, when made public by The Athletic last month, caught team executives or MLB by surprise.
MLB said their investigation spanned Callaway’s time as a pitching coach in Cleveland, manager of the Mets, and pitching coach with the Angels.
“My office has completed its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Mickey Callaway. Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We want to thank the many people who cooperated with our Department of Investigations (DOI) in their work, which spanned Mr. Callaway’s positions with three different Clubs. The Clubs that employed Mr. Callaway each fully cooperated with DOI, including providing emails and assisting with identifying key witnesses.”
Upon announcement of Callaway’s suspension by MLB, the Angels — who hired Callaway as pitching coach before the 2020 season — announced the firing of Callaway, saying, “Effective immediately, we are ending Mickey Callaway’s employment with the Angels. We appreciate Major League Baseball’s diligent investigation, and support their decision.”
Callaway released a statement of his own:
Mickey Callaway has been placed on MLB’s ineligible list following its investigation over his alleged sexual misconduct. Here’s a statement from Callaway, passed along by a spokesperson ... pic.twitter.com/Y4DpHNtR1P
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) May 26, 2021
The earliest Callaway can apply for reinstatement is after the 2022 season.
As for how it affects the current Angels staff, Matt Wise and Dom Chiti remain in their current roles, just without a temporary tag.
In the wake of Mickey Callaway's firing, Joe Maddon said the interim tags have been removed for pitching coach Matt Wise and bullpen coach Dom Chiti
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) May 26, 2021