Bob Bowman, Major League Baseball’s former president of business and media, has admitted he was “inappropriate” at times after the Wall Street Journal reported that the executive had recently been forced out after years of troubling behaviour.
Last month, the league said that Bowman, one of the most influential sports-media executives of recent years, would step down when his contract expired in December after having opted against seeking an extension.
However, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Bowman was “pushed out” after having been responsible for “years of troubling workplace behaviour” which league executives had known about for “at least a decade”.
The newspaper claimed that Bowman’s behaviour included “hitting on female employees, berating staffers, fostering a culture of heavy drinking outside the office, and in one case physically shoving a Boston Red Sox exec”. Bowman was also accused in the report of allegedly hiring what were believed to be female escorts for a party at the 2016 All-Star Game.
Bowman (pictured) helped steer the rapid expansion of BAMTech, the video technology business of MLB Advanced Media, which is the league’s interactive media and internet subsidiary. Bowman stepped down from a leadership role at BAMTech in December 2016.
“The culture that started at BAM was hard working and driven,” Bowman said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. “At times, it was also inappropriate and I take full responsibility.
“This inappropriate behaviour reflects my personal flaws and not someone else’s. This behaviour and my personal behaviour were wrong. To those who felt the sting of my behaviour, I am truly sorry. To my family, friends and business colleagues who have been steadfastly supportive of me, and whom I have embarrassed, I apologise.”