Disturbing allegations have been made against former major leaguer and current Tigers broadcaster Craig Monroe, which prompted both the team and Bally Sports Detroit to keep him away from the booth, both confirmed in a joint statement Monday.
Monroe has not been on the broadcasts since June 9, the reason for which had originally been described as a “personal matter” last month.
But days later a post on Instagram and a separate post on X last week by the user carbarbie941 alleged that Monroe had sexually assaulted her dating back to when she was 12 years old and also accused the player-turned-broadcaster of turning her into a prostitute.
In a statement to Awful Announcing, the Tigers and Bally Sports Detroit confirmed that he had been away over the accusations.
“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously. 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,” a spokesperson for both organizations told the outlet.
Monroe has yet to publicly address these allegations as of this publishing.
Among the graphic accusations made in the social media posts, the unknown woman alleged that the abuse began when Monroe was a minor leaguer living with her family in Charlotte County, Florida when she was 12 and continued into adulthood.
She also alleged that Monroe had her engage in sexual acts with friends and others, while also claiming that Monroe had made her have sex with him at his home while his wife was upstairs.
In the post, the woman, identified only as a 35-year-old named Bree by Fox 2 in Detroit, said that she had reached out to both Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers, but did not receive any response from either organization.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told Fox 2 that there was an active investigation into the matter and asked anyone with information to come forward.
The accuser told the outlet that she had waited to come forward because she wanted to protect her family and and herself knowing that there could be public backlash over the accusations.
Monroe had played nine seasons in MLB before taking his career to the broadcast booth.
He started his career with the Rangers in 2001 and spent parts of six seasons with the Tigers before playing for the Cubs, Twins and Pirates.
Monroe retired in 2009 and began working on Tigers broadcasts in 2012.
He had just started this season as the lead analyst on Bally Sports Detroit broadcasts, and it is unknown where his future with the network stands following the serious allegations.
