The allegations against the men ranged from offensive comments to physical confrontation.

“It’s not a place women can feel safe,” said a current male employee

26 comments

  1. There’s no place for shit like this in our city, or sports as a whole, but it’s all too prevalent. Hopefully this piece doesn’t get buried just because people are disappointed it’s happening here and not somewhere else

  2. It’s crazy that the team doesn’t offer maternity (and paternity leave), though I guess they are starting in 2026.

    It’s sad that the winning masks a lot of the turmoil happening on the business side. The Tigers have always come off as a business-style run org, (ie we have to make profits over winning comes first) under Chris, so I’m a little surprised that it hasn’t been run better. It’s disappointing and it seems like they still have some work to do to make the culture better but at least they have gotten rid of these people mentioned in the article.

  3. We all heard about Sam Menzin and hoped that was the end of it. Very sad to hear it’s a cultural issue.

  6. They name names and shit’s pretty damning.  Cameron Maybin’s even involved.

    > The Athletic began investigating the organization in late April after Tigers assistant general manager Sam Menzin abruptly resigned after 13 years with the team. Menzin, then 34, was viewed in some circles as a rising star, ascending from intern to the front office. The Tigers did not disclose why he left, but The Athletic reported that Menzin departed after an internal investigation found that he sent lewd, unsolicited photos to multiple women who worked for the team

    > The most serious allegation involved Michael Lienert, who joined the company in 2019 and was promoted to IS+E’s vice president of premium sales and private events in September 2021. 

    > He also allegedly engaged in at least two relationships with female coworkers that were not disclosed to the organization, as required by company policy, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter. In early 2023, Lienert was in a heated exchange with one of those female coworkers and allegedly pushed her down a flight of stairs, according to three sources.

    > Before being hired in January 2023, Bullock worked at the XFL with IS+E president and CEO Ryan Gustafson. Three people told The Athleticthey witnessed Bullock verbally harass male and female employees, sometimes on the field. Four people, both male and female employees, said they heard Bullock use vulgarities to describe women and, in some of those cases, discuss sexual acts.

    > Since his promotion to director, Fidelman allegedly yelled at a female employee and called her “stupid” within earshot of two people, who conveyed what they heard to The Athletic. Another former employee said she overheard Fidelman make demeaning remarks about her physical appearance. Another woman who worked under Fidelman said that when she told him she didn’t feel included in some workplace matters, he replied: “You shouldn’t feel included.”

    > Peter Soto was hired as vice president of game presentation and fan experience in August 2023. On game days, Soto was often on a live audio channel accessed by more than a dozen people. According to two people with access to the channel, Soto once allegedly referenced Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex parties; in another instance, he allegedly likened a talkative female employee to a stripper in that he “didn’t look her in the eye.” Multiple organizational sources said an effort was made to keep lower-level employees off the headsets so they wouldn’t hear Soto’s inappropriate remarks.

    > In 2023, former Tigers player Cameron Maybin joined Bally Sports Detroit (now FanDuel Sports Network) as a pre- and post-game analyst. Early in the season, Maybin allegedly told one team employee he liked to watch her walk away from him, according to that woman and a person she told about the remark around the time it occurred. At least two women received late-night calls or messages from Maybin that they considered inappropriate. In one text message, viewed by The Athletic, Maybin wrote: “probably not the best idea we hang I’m trying to stay married.” In another, after the woman declined to socialize with Maybin, he wrote: “You can always stop by, my door is wide open for you.”

    > The Tigers are one of just three of 30 MLB teams to not offer paid maternity leave, according to The Athletic’s reporting. (Most teams also offer paid paternity leave.) The Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels also don’t offer paid maternity leave.

    And then… Craig Monroe.

  8. This is probably happening because Chris Illitch is so engrossed in getting District Detroit going that he doesn’t have time to babysit his empire.

  11. Look how easy this is. Tigers fan here.

    This is wrong and they should be fired. The Tigers need to clean up their mess and address this.

    No coverup needed not going to justify it cause I like them and want them to win.

  12. The Tigers are winning so nobody in the local Detroit media (or most fans) will care. If they were losing this would get more attention.

  13. I’m not even a little bit surprised. The vibe has felt off ever since Mike died and handed the reins to Chris. Mike, for all his (many, unexcusable) faults, loved people. He invested in individuals as much as in businesses and sports teams, and he ran his teams with a very human touch.

    Chris is all business, he doesn’t care about people, and he does not know how to select people for their culture fit as well as their job performance. That’s why it feels like the soul was sucked out of the Red Wings, and I fear if the Tigers become less successful and generate less excitement, there won’t be any sort of identifiable culture in the organization to keep the team feeling like a team instead of a business venture.

    I’m sure some are eager to argue with me about this, and that’s fine — I’m not condemning a business-first approach. But when there’s no human element to the business, when the bottom dollar is always the prime consideration, you’re going to end up with more people who will step on necks and cross ethical boundaries because their personal ethics consider that appropriate behavior. Chris Ilitch is actively bad at building a business that considers people at all, and I will never be able to be more than a passive fan of any team he owns because of it.

  22. Part of me wants both teams to suck ass so Chris sells the fucking teams. He’s a fucking nepo-baby that treats his family’s successes as a fucking private-equity moneyfest and nothing else. Fuck him and these fucking losers that are trading on the good names of our teams.

  24. Disgusting and you have to assume with org wide shit like this, it’s a culture that starts with the top. Needs to be full culture change, and hey, the paid parental leave should come too.

  26. How Lienert pushed a woman down a flight of stairs, and yet is still able to have a career in sports is beyond me. Honestly, he probably should have faced criminal charges. He could have easily killed that woman doing that. Frankly, I’m surprised that she wasn’t injured in some way (at least that we know of).

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