CLEVELAND — Shortly after The Athletic published an article detailing the Cleveland Indians' handling of allegations against former pitching coach Mickey Callaway, Nick Francona took to Twitter to speak up.
But rather than defend his father -- Indians manager Terry Francona -- Nick added another layer to the story, claiming that his father lied to him about Callaway, who has been the subject of several accusations alleging misbehavior toward women.
"Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am surprised," Nick Francona wrote. "When the news about Mickey Callaway's behavior first came out earlier this year, I confronted my father, [Indians president] Chris Antonetti, and others with the Cleveland Indians. I wanted to know why they didn't say anything to me when the Mets hired Mickey Callaway and they gave him a strong endorsement. My father lied to me and said he didn't know. Additionally, I think he and his colleagues fail to understand what is acceptable behavior and what isn't."
Nick Francona worked for the Mets as an assistant director of player development when they hired Callaway as their manager following the 2017 season. Callaway served as the Indians' pitching coach under Terry Francona from 2013-2017.
Nick Francona went on to state that he confronted his father again on Tuesday after The Athletic published a new report stating that Terry Francona, Antonetti and Indians general manager Mike Chernoff had confronted Callaway about his behavior after the team was contacted by a man whose wife had a consensual affair with and received "explicit photos and at least one lewd video" from the then-pitching coach. The Indians had previously denied being aware of any allegations against Callaway.
"He simply doesn't get it," Nick Francona tweeted, adding that he and his father don't have a "particularly close relationship, largely as a result of disagreements about his conduct, some of which has been reported over the years and some of which has not."
On Tuesday, Terry Francona said that "nobody's ever deliberately covered up for anybody" when asked about Callaway.
Asked about his son's comments, the two-time World Series champion manager said: "I love all my children unconditionally. And as you can imagine, that's a very difficult thing to see. So to deal with it publically is hurtful."
The Indians are expected to release a statement regarding the Callaway situation later on Tuesday.