Detroit Tigers, Bally Sports Detroit address analyst Craig Monroe's absence after sexual assault allegations
Content warning: This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault and abuse.
Former MLB outfielder and current Detroit Tigers broadcaster Craig Monroe has been away from the booth for about a month after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman beginning when she was a minor, the team and Bally Sports Detroit confirmed Monday.
Monroe is the lead television analyst for the Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit, though he hasn’t been in the booth since June 9. The team and the network said in a statement last month that he was “addressing a personal matter,” and they went further in a new joint statement provided to Awful Announcing on Monday.
“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously,” the Tigers and the network said in a statement. “As previously stated, Mr. Monroe has not been on the broadcast schedule and that will continue on an indefinite basis. We will have no further comment and any questions should be directed to Mr. Monroe.”
Monroe was accused on social media of sexually assaulting a woman starting when she was 12 years old and he was playing in the minor leagues. The abuse, she said, continued well into her adult life. The woman said she initially reached out to both the network and the team about her claims and received no response, which led her to post them on social media last month.
According to The Detroit News, Monroe was removed from his analyst role "minutes" after the social media post was published.
The accuser first posted on X about the allegations last month, tagging multiple news outlets, before deleting that original post. However, according to the source with knowledge of the situation, an executive with Bally Sports Detroit had already seen the post.
At the time, Monroe was at Comerica Park preparing to work the series opener between the Tigers and Washington Nationals on June 11. Within 30 minutes of seeing the post, a Bally Sports Detroit executive demanded Monroe leave the ballpark, according to the source.
Monroe's accuser spoke to WJBK-TV on Monday night and said that her family was Monroe's host family while he was playing minor league baseball in Charlotte County, Florida in the early 2000s.
It started with Monroe coming into her room to fondle her, and it escalated from there – eventually leading to intercourse when she was 15 years old.
Once she turned 18, the woman and Monroe were in an ongoing consensual and sexual relationship, she said. However, he would "prostitute" her to his friends and acquaintances.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they are actively investigating the woman's claims. Monroe denied the accusations in a statement through his attorney, Michael Manley, on Tuesday night.
“Craig Monroe takes allegations of this nature very seriously and would never commit or condone such despicable conduct,” Manley said in the statement, in part, via the Detroit Free Press. "We trust that law enforcement will uncover the truth regarding her background and motivations."
Monroe played nine MLB seasons, starting with the Texas Rangers in 2001. He spent more than five seasons playing for the Tigers and wrapped his career with short stints with the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates before he retired after the 2009 campaign. He finished his career with a .252 batting average, 115 home runs and 433 RBI.
Monroe began working as a Tigers broadcaster in 2012, and he started this season as their lead analyst on Bally Sports Detroit.
Monroe has not responded to the allegations publicly. It’s unclear when he will return to his role with Bally Sports, if at all.
