Ex-MLB Executive Bob Bowman Accused Of Workplace Misconduct Before Resigning

Former Major League Baseball executive Bob Bowman was forced out of his position last month following allegations of workplace misconduct, per The Wall Street Journal.

Bob Bowman workplace misconduct scandal news

Bowman — the former CEO of MLB Advanced Media, the league’s digital arm — was reportedly verbally and physically abusive to colleagues and team executives, propositioned female coworkers, and led a drinking and partying culture at the company.

The Journal added that Bowman verbally harassed a coworker in October, and that this incident led commissioner Rob Manfred to push for Bowman’s exit. Bowman then announced his resignation on Nov. 6.

“I would say that [the October] incident was the culmination of a variety of issues that had gone on over a period of time, and it precipitated a conversation in which Bob and I agreed that the best thing for him to do was to leave,” Manfred told the Journal.

Former MLB president Bob DuPuy also reportedly knew about Bowman’s behavior and addressed it with then-comissioner Bud Selig, who “had no interest” in dealing with the accusations against Bowman.

The Walt Disney Co., which also owns ESPN, owns a majority share of BAMTech, a spinoff of MLB Advanced Media that provides a streaming service for baseball games, among other types of over-the-top digital media technologies.

The Journal  also reported that during the week of the All-Star Game in July 2016 in San Diego, “MLB Advanced Media hosted a party at which women were allegedly hired to entertain attendees, according to two people who attended. These people said the women, who arrived at the party by bus, were widely believed by attendees to be escorts.”

Bowman — who joined MLB in 2000 and considered running for governor of Michigan in 2010 — confessed his inappropriate actions in no detail in a statement to the Journal.

“The culture that started at BAM was hard working and driven. At times, it was also inappropriate and I take full responsibility,” Bowman said. “This inappropriate behavior reflects my personal flaws and not someone else’s. This behavior and my personal behavior were wrong. To those who felt the sting of my behavior, I am truly sorry. To my family, friends and business colleagues who have been steadfastly supportive of me, and whom I have embarrassed, I apologize.”

The revelations about Bowman follow sexual harassment accusations against Sportsnet MLB analyst and former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun that surfaced last month.