Craig Monroe, the lead color analyst on Tigers broadcasts, has been absent from the booth for the past few weeks due to allegations of sexual abuse against a minor, according to a source with knowledge of the Tigers’ broadcast operations. Those allegations are now being investigated by police, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
On June 11, Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers learned of social media allegations accusing broadcaster Craig Monroe of sexual misconduct with a minor. Monroe, technically a freelance employee, was immediately sent home from the ballpark and removed from the team’s broadcast schedule, the source said.
On June 21, after inquiries into Monroe’s absence, the Tigers and Bally released a joint statement saying Monroe was dealing with a personal matter and not on the broadcast schedule.
The post detailing allegations against Monroe was initially deleted but reposted on X last Thursday, where it began gaining significant attention. Authorities in Florida’s Charlotte County have an open criminal investigation into the matter. Bally Sports and the Tigers are leaving investigations to authorities.
“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously,” the entities 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, who has not called a game since June 9, did not respond to multiple messages from The Athletic. His attorney, Michael Manley, provided a statement to Fox 2 Detroit on Tuesday.
“Craig Monroe did not dignify these horrifying, and false allegations when they appeared on various social media sites,” the statement read. “Now that mainstream media has chosen to report this inaccurate information, Craig has no choice but to vehemently deny these claims. We will cooperate with law enforcement and are confident that once this case is fully investigated, Craig will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Craig Monroe takes allegations of this nature very seriously and would never commit or condone such despicable conduct. He and his family are shocked by these allegations and offer his accuser forgiveness and grace. We trust that law enforcement will uncover the truth regarding her background and motivations.”
The woman who posted the allegations, which dated to Monroe’s career as a minor-league player in the Texas Rangers organization, also did not respond to The Athletic on Monday.
Monroe spent parts of nine seasons playing in the major leagues, including parts of six seasons with the Tigers from 2002-07. Monroe first joined the Tigers’ broadcast crew as a studio analyst in 2012. By the start of this season, he had risen to the team’s lead color analyst on TV while also calling occasional games on the radio broadcast.
(Photo: Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)
