UPDATE 10/27, 4:20 p.m. ET: Sports Illustrated reporter Stephanie Apstein has shared an apology letter sent to her by Houston Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane, where he retracted the organization's allegations that she tried "to fabricate a story" last week.
"On behalf of the entire Astros organization, I want to personally apologize for the statement we issued on Monday October 21st," Crane wrote. "We were wrong and I am sorry that we initially questioned your professionalism. We retract that statement, and I assure you that the Houston Astros will learn from this experience."
See original story below.
The Houston Astros have fired their assistant general manager Brandon Taubman, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Taubman was publicly chastised for yelling at a group of women reporters that he was glad the team picked up reliever Roberto Osuna after the Astros ALCS Game 6 win. Osuna had served a 75-game suspension for domestic violence last year and had performed poorly in the game that had just ended.
Sports Illustrated reported that the atmosphere in the clubhouse was "offensive and frightening" and the story caused MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to speak out.
“I’m really concerned, at this point, about the underlying substance of the situation and what the atmosphere was, how it came to be,” Manfred said, per the Washington Post. “That’s my focus right now.”
While the Astros initially defended Taubman and claimed that reports around the incident were misleading, they recanted in their official announcement of his firing.
"Our initial investigation led us to believe that [Taubman]'s inappropriate comments were not directed at any reporter," they wrote. "We were wrong. We sincerely apologize to Stephanie Apstein, Sports Illustrated and to all individuals who witnessed this incident."
We have terminated Brandon Taubman's employment with the Houston Astros," the team continued. "His conduct does not reflect the values of our organization and we believe this is most appropriate course of action."
