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An extensive investigation and report has revealed that at least eight men, including four Detroit Tigers vice presidents and two former Tigers players who worked for the team as broadcasters, have been accused of misconduct toward women. All of the accusations have come since 2023. Six of the men have either resigned, were fired, or not had their contracts renewed, while another has been suspended.
The investigation and subsequent report, conducted and published by The Athletic, includes allegations against former Tigers assistant general manager Sam Menzin, Ilitch Sports and Entertainment vice president of premium sales and private events Michael Lienert, vice president of business operations Josh Bullock, director of video content production Rob Gehring, vice president of game presentation and fan experience Peter Soto, vice president of communications and broadcasting Ben Fidelman, former Tigers player turned broadcaster Cameron Maybin, and former Tigers player turned broadcaster Craig Monroe.
The accusations
• Menzin was let go after after an internal investigation found that he sent lewd, unsolicited photos to multiple women who worked for the team.
• Lienert allegedly engaged in at least two relationships with female coworkers that were not disclosed to the organization and allegedly pushed one of the women down a flight of stairs during an argument.
• Bullock allegedly verbally harassed male and female employees, made inappropriate comments, used vulgarities to describe women, and allegedly shoved a female employee.
• Multiple women reported Gehring to HR for allegedly making sexist and inappropriate comments and unnecessarily touching them.
• Soto allegedly made inappropriate remarks on a live audio channel accessed by more than a dozen people on game days, and commented on female employees’ appearances.
• Fidelman is accused of making demeaning remarks about a woman’s physical appearance, screaming at women in the organization, and exhibiting that was described as “belittling,” “domineering” and “disrespectful.”
• Maybin allegedly sent messages and made late-night calls to women that they considered inappropriate.
• Monroe was publicly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, which resulted in a report being taken by the Frisco Police Department in Texas.
What current and former employees are saying
“The dysfunction is woven into the culture,” one current male employee told The Athletic. “It feels like a bunch of guys who can do whatever they want. It’s not a place women can feel safe.”
“There’s just been little things, things that it’s just like, okay, well, it’s because I’m a woman,” said a former female Tigers employee. “And I had never felt that way working in sports. … I’ve never felt that way or so belittled by people in a workplace until I worked for the Tigers.”
“There’s no consistency,” another former employee said. “Not everyone is held to the same standard, and it’s not (for) little things.”
“We have team meetings and they celebrate like everything is going great,” said a current employee. “Yeah, the team is playing well. But let’s be real.”