Report: Tigers broadcaster Craig Monroe denies sexual assault allegations

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — New allegations explain why Craig Monroe has been missing from the Tigers broadcast booth in recent weeks.

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Multiple outlets, including News 8 affiliate WDIV and The Detroit News, report Monroe was pulled off the air after sexual assault allegations surfaced against him online.

A woman took to social media last month accusing Monroe of assaulting her when she was a minor, saying Monroe lived with her family while he played for the Port Charlotte Rangers, a minor-league affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

Monroe played for Port Charlotte for parts of three seasons from 1997 through 1999. However, the accuser says the abuse stretched beyond his time in Texas. According to WDIV, the accuser says she moved to Detroit in 2011 to live with Monroe and talked about incidents related to the Tigers Fantasy Camp and a former Tiger teammate.

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The Detroit News reports Bally Sports Detroit and the team issued a joint statement Tuesday night acknowledging the accusations.

“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously,” the statement read. “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 primarily covers Tigers games on BSD television broadcasts alongside play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti, has not been on a broadcast since the Tigers’ 10-2 win over Milwaukee on June 9.

Monroe had not addressed the allegations publicly until Tuesday, when he released a statement through his lawyers denouncing the allegations.

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“Craig Monroe did not dignify these horrifying and false allegations when they appeared on various social media sites. Now that mainstream media has chosen to report this inaccurate information, Craig has no choice but to vehemently deny these claims,” the statement reads in part. “We will cooperate with law enforcement and are confident that once this case is fully investigated, Craig will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”

No criminal charges have been filed against Monroe, but the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida confirmed to The Detroit News that the department is actively investigating the accuser’s claims.

This is Monroe’s second season with BSD as the Tigers’ lead analyst. He was expected to cover at least half of the team’s games this season, while other analysts — Dan Petry, Kirk Gibson, Carlos Pena and Todd Jones — would fill in.

Monroe spent parts of six seasons with the Tigers from 2002-2007, racking up 101 home runs and 379 RBIs while patrolling the outfield. He also played one season each with the Minnesota Twins, the Texas Rangers, the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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