Content warning: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault and abuse.
Former MLB outfielder and current Detroit Tigers announcer Craig Monroe has been away from the announce booth for about a month since being accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl, the team and Bally Sports Detroit confirmed Monday.
Monroe is the Tigers’ lead television commentator for Bally Sports Detroit but has not been on the commentary stand since June 9. In a statement last month, the team and network said he was “discussing personal matters,” but a new joint statement provided to Awful Announcement on Monday went further.
“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously,” the Tigers and network said in a statement. “As we previously stated, Mr. Monroe will not be on the broadcast schedule and will remain so indefinitely. We will have no further comment and encourage anyone with questions to contact Mr. Monroe directly.”
Monroe had been accused on social media of sexually assaulting a woman beginning when he was 12 years old while playing in the minor leagues. She said the abuse continued into her adulthood. The woman said she initially contacted both the network and the team about her allegations but received no response, so she posted about it on social media last month.
Monroe played nine seasons in the major leagues, starting with the Texas Rangers in 2001. He played five more seasons with the Tigers and had short stints with the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring after the 2009 season. He finished his career with a .252 batting average, 115 home runs and 433 RBIs.
Monroe began his career as a Tigers announcer in 2012 and began this season as the lead analyst for Bally Sports Detroit.
Monroe has not publicly responded to the allegations, and it is unclear when he will return to his job at Bally Sports.
