In the midst of a detailed report from The Athletic outlining how the Indians management must have known about the sexual harassment allegations the website uncovered against its former pitching coach Mickey Callaway, the son of Cleveland manager Terry Francona, Nick, expressed his disappointment with his father and alluded to more indiscretions.
“I was disappointed to read the reports in The Athletic this morning from Katie Strang and Britt Ghiroli,” wrote Nick Fracona, who was the Mets’ assistant director of player development from 2017 to 2018, in a statement on Twitter Tuesday. “Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised. When the news broke about Mickey Callaway’s behavior earlier this year, I confronted my father, Chris Antonetti, and others with the Cleveland Indians.
“I wanted to know why they didn’t say anything to me when the Mets signed Mickey Callaway and gave him strong backing. My father lied to me and said he didn’t know. Also, I think he and his colleagues fail to understand what is acceptable behavior and what is not. “
Callaway, who was accused by multiple women of submitting inappropriate photos and / or requesting nude photos in return, is under investigation by MLB and has been suspended by the Angels, of whom he is the pitching coach.
When Terry Francona was questioned about the Callaway situation on Tuesday, told reporters “It was just not the right time to respond,” although he said “no one has deliberately covered up for anyone, I can tell you.”
Regarding your son’s statement, the manager saying, “I love all my children, unconditionally. As you can imagine, that’s a very difficult thing to see, so dealing with it publicly is painful. “
Nick Francona said he “confronted” his father again Tuesday morning and “it’s clear he just doesn’t get it.”
“I hesitate to go into the personal details of my family situation, but my father and I do not have a particularly close relationship, largely as a result of disagreements about his conduct, some of which have been reported over the years, and others of whom he hasn’t, ”wrote Nick Francona, who worked for the Angels as a Major League Baseball player information coordinator from 2013 to 2014 before joining the Dodgers as deputy director of player development.
Antonetti, the president of the Indians team, took to the media recently in the wake of The Athletic’s initial report, which included accounts from several women who said Callaway made consistent comments about their appearance and made them feel uncomfortable. Antonetti fiercely claimed that he had no prior knowledge of Callaway’s indiscretions.
“There had never been any complaints against Mickey in his time with us, not to me or to our human resources department or other leaders,” he told reporters.
Athletic reports that in 2017, the husband of a woman with whom Callaway had a consensual relationship made repeated calls to the Indians and MLB to report that the former Mets manager sent “pornographic material” to his wife. The calls were brought to the attention of Antonetti, Francona and general manager Mike Chernoff, according to The Athletic.
“I’ve always tried to stand up for what I felt was right, even when it wasn’t easy,” wrote Nick Francona, who served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps from 2009 to 2013. “In this case, that means admit that my own father and his colleagues are clearly wrong. Their behavior is unacceptable and worse, it’s hard to have faith in them to improve and learn when they seem more concerned with covering up wrongdoing than honestly addressing it.
“I don’t think this is a problem unique to the Cleveland Indians and I think there should be a reckoning in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately, the Commissioner’s office is part of the problem, not the solution. Until a truly independent outside party is brought in and there is transparency and accountability, these issues will continue to plague the sport. “