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Detroit Tigers and Bally Sports Detroit comment on analyst Craig Monroe’s absence following allegations of sexual assault

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Craig Monroe began working as an analyst for the Tigers in 2012 and is their lead analyst for Bally Sports Detroit this season.

Content warning: This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault and abuse.

Former MLB outfielder and current Detroit Tigers sportscaster Craig Monroe has been out of the booth for about a month after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman beginning when she was a minor, the team and Bally Sports Detroit confirmed Monday.

Monroe is the Tigers’ lead television analyst for Bally Sports Detroit, but has been out of the booth since June 9. The team and broadcaster said in a statement last month that he was “resolving a personal matter,” and in a new joint statement to Awful Announcing on Monday, they went even further.

“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the allegations on social media and take them seriously,” the Tigers and the network said in a statement. “As previously stated, Mr. Monroe was not on the broadcast schedule and will remain so indefinitely. We will have no further comment and all questions should be directed to Mr. Monroe.”

Monroe was accused on social media of sexually assaulting a woman when she was 12 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 the network and team with her allegations and received no response, prompting her to post them on social media last month.

According to The Detroit News, Monroe was relieved of his role as analyst “minutes” after the social media post was published.

The plaintiff first posted the allegations on X last month, tagging several news outlets before deleting the original post. However, according to the source familiar with the situation, a Bally Sports Detroit executive had already seen the post.

Monroe was at Comerica Park at the time, preparing to pitch in the Tigers’ series opener against the Washington Nationals on June 11. According to the source, a Bally Sports Detroit executive asked Monroe to leave the stadium within 30 minutes of the post being made public.

Monroe’s accuser spoke to WJBK-TV on Monday night and said her family was Monroe’s host family when he played 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 them having sexual intercourse when she was 15.

The woman and Monroe have had a consensual sexual relationship since she was 18, she says, but he “prostituted” her to his friends and acquaintances.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the woman’s allegations are currently under investigation. Monroe denied the allegations Tuesday evening in a statement issued by his attorney, Michael Manley.

“Craig Monroe takes allegations of this nature very seriously and would never commit or condone such despicable behavior,” Manley said in the statement, which was published in part by the Detroit Free Press. “We trust that law enforcement will uncover the truth about her background and motives.”

Monroe played nine MLB seasons, beginning in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. He played more than five seasons for the Tigers, finishing his career with brief 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 working as a sportscaster for the Tigers in 2012 and began this season as their lead analyst at Bally Sports Detroit.

Monroe has not publicly commented on the allegations. It is unclear when, if at all, he will return to his position at Bally Sports.

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