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Why was Mickey Callaway nicknamed 'D**k Pic Mick'? Angels coach's alleged lewd behavior was ‘worst-kept secret’

Last month, five women accused Callaway of sexual misconduct. Now, former employees with the Cleveland Indians and the New York Mets have said that the management of both teams was aware of his behavior

On Tuesday, March 2, the words “Dick Pic Mick” were trending on Twitter. American professional baseball coach and former pitcher Michael Christopher Callaway came under fire after The Athletic published a report titled “‘Worst-kept secret’: What the Indians, MLB really knew about Mickey Callaway’s behavior”.

Last month, five women spoke to the sports publication about their experiences with Callaway over the last five years. Callaway's alleged harassment was "the worst-kept secret in sports," per one woman. Callaway reportedly sent the women unsolicited electronic messages, and regularly commented on their appearance in a manner that made them uncomfortable. In one instance, he allegedly “thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him”. He reportedly sent three of them inappropriate photographs and asked one of them to send nude photos in return. 

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He also allegedly told one of the women that if she got drunk with him he’d share information about the New York Mets -- Callaway was the team’s manager from 2018 through 2019. Following the report, the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach was suspended pending an investigation. "The behavior being reported violates the Angels Organization’s values and policies," the team said in a statement. "We take this very seriously and will conduct a full investigation with MLB.”

Why is Callaway being called “Dick Pic Mick”?

Callaway became the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2013 season. Former employees with Cleveland and the Mets said in the new report that the management of both teams was aware of his 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," a Cleveland employee said. "It was the worst-kept secret in the organization."

According to The Athletic, the Mets learned in August 2018 of an incident involving Callaway that took place before they hired him. While the team reportedly investigated the matter, the Mets declined to reveal the nature of the incident or its outcome. A former Mets employee also said several people within the organization called him “Dick Pic Mick”. This caused many online to wonder why Callaway was still part of Major League Baseball.

A former pitcher under Callaway said that Callaway’s conduct was also "widely known" dating back to 2010 when he worked in the minor leagues. Chris Antonetti, the current President of Baseball Operations for the Cleveland Indians, said however when the first report came out that he was unaware of behavior like this. "When I read the article, that was the first time I became aware of the alleged behaviors," Antonetti said at the time. "There had never been any complaints against Mickey in his time with us, either to me or to our human resources department or other leaders.”

In February, Callaway responded to the allegations with, “Rather than rush to respond to these general allegations of which I have just been made aware, I look forward to an opportunity to provide more specific responses. Any relationship in which I was engaged has been consensual, and my conduct was in no way intended to be disrespectful to any women involved.”