Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe has been accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl decades earlier and then “prostituting” her to his friends after she turned 18.
The accuser, who remains anonymous, made the allegations to police, on social media and on the Fox affiliate in Detroit.
Monroe, now an analyst for the Tigers, has been removed from the team’s broadcasts, according to a statement from Bally Sports Detroit.
“Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the allegations on social media and take them seriously,” the statement began. “As previously stated, Mr. Monroe has not been on the broadcast show and that will continue indefinitely. We will not be commenting further and any questions should be directed to Mr. Monroe.”
The alleged abuse occurred when Monroe was in his early 20s. The victim’s family was reportedly his host family during his minor league days in Charlotte County, Florida, in the early 2000s. According to Fox 2 Detroit.
Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe has been charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl.
However, Monroe’s page on the MiLB.com website lists him as a member of the Charlotte Rangers of the Class A Florida State League in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Monroe allegedly began sneaking into her room to fondle the woman and eventually had sex with her when she was 15. Later, when she turned 18, the two engaged in a consensual sexual relationship, but, as she told Fox 2 Detroit, Monroe would “prostitute” her to his friends.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation and urges anyone with information to come forward.
Monroe has been a broadcaster for the Tigers since 2012.
His accuser told Fox 2 she delayed going public with her allegations out of concern for her family.
Monroe did not respond to Fox 2’s requests for comment.
In her social media post, the accuser claimed she reached out to Fox 2 News Detroit, Bally Sports and the Tigers, adding that she “received no response.”
“I am writing this letter to inform you that Craig Monroe is not the man you believe him to be. In fact, he is the complete opposite: he is a pedophile, a child molester, a manipulator and a liar.”
Craig Monroe hits an RBI double off Curtis Granderson during the 2006 American League Championship Series
The woman described being awakened by Monroe in her bedroom when she was just 12 years old. Although it began with him fondling her, she said, the abuse soon escalated to oral sex and intercourse.
She also claims that he would fly her out to visit him during his MLB days.
“When he started playing in the big leagues, he would fly me out to visit him and host a ‘party’ where I would ‘entertain’ his friends, him, or both of us. In return, he would always take me shopping or give me money. This continued into my adult life.”
She said she moved to Detroit in 2011 to be with Monroe, who she says once gave her $1,000 to have sex with “this old white guy who was paralyzed in a wheelchair.”
The accuser went on to name other former Tigers players.
The social media post ended with the woman revealing that she is “in therapy and talking about this trauma and trying to get over it.”
Born in Texarkana, Texas, Monroe was selected by the Rangers in the eighth round of the 1995 MLB Draft.
Although he debuted with Texas in 2001, he was eventually claimed by the Tigers, for whom he spent most of his eight-year career.
Monroe was a member of the 2006 Detroit Tigers, who fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. After hitting 28 home runs during the regular season, Monroe hit six more during Detroit’s postseason run.
He later resigned after a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009.
