Ross Atkins 'Absolutely Not Aware' of Mickey Callaway's Behavior with Cleveland

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Thursday he was "absolutely not aware" of the behavior that led to several harassment allegations made against Mickey Callaway, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press. 

Atkins, who worked in Cleveland's front office from 2001-15, helped hire Callaway as a pitching coach in the team's minor league system in 2010. He served in that role until 2013 before working as Cleveland's pitching coach until 2017.

"There is no chance that we would have overlooked that if we had had any signs of that type of behavior," Atkins said.

On Feb. 1, Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic reported that Callaway "aggressively pursued at least five women who work in sports media, sending three of them inappropriate photographs and asking one of them to send nude photos in return."

Per that report:

"He sent them unsolicited electronic messages and regularly commented on their appearance in a manner that made them uncomfortable. In one instance, he thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him. In another, he told one of the women that if she got drunk with him he'd share information about the Mets.  

"The five women, who spoke to The Athletic on the condition that they not be identified, said that the actions by the now 45-year-old Callaway spanned at least five years, multiple cities and three teams."

Additionally, Ghiroli and Strang reported this week that they interviewed 22 people who were in contact with Callaway during his time in Cleveland, including 12 current or former employees of the organization, who suggested it was unlikely that Cleveland's front office hadn't caught wind of Callaway's inappropriate behavior.

"I laughed out loud when I saw the quote [in The Athletic's original report] that said it was the worst-kept secret in baseball, because it was," said a Cleveland employee. "It was the worst-kept secret in the organization."

On Thursday, Atkins apologized to those affected by Callaway's alleged harassment. 

"As a leader, it's our responsibility to ensure that our staff feels safe, supported," Atkins said. "I deeply apologize to anyone who ever faced harassment or didn't feel comfortable to come forward. I see that as a failure on my part that there weren't the proper channels for someone to feel safe to come forward. As a leader in that organization, that's heartbreaking for me."

Callaway is currently a pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, though he is suspended pending a team and MLB investigation into the allegations made against him.