The Houston Astros have fired assistant general manager Brandon Taubman after multiple reports confirmed that Taubman lashed out at female reporters with a series of inappropriate comments following the Astros ALCS victory over the New York Yankees:
The Houston Astros have fired assistant general manager Brandon Taubman.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 24, 2019
As is detailed by Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated, Taubman had choice words for a group of female reporters that–in context–were very targeted and intimidating:
And in the center of the room, assistant general manager Brandon Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f—— glad we got Osuna!”
The outburst was offensive and frightening enough that another Houston staffer apologized. The Astros declined to comment. They also declined to make Taubman available for an interview.
“Osuna” refers to Astros closer Roberto Osuna, who in 2018 was suspended for violating the MLB's joint domestic violence policy.
Initially, the Astros categorically denied Apstein's story. However, they changed their tune after multiple reporters confirmed the details of the story. Astros owner Jim Crane insisted that all staffers went through mandatory training, and Taubman apologized for the comments.
However, reporters in the industry were outraged by Houston's initial denial and apparent disregard for female reporters. Astros manager A.J. Hinch expressed disappointment and blamed himself for not creating a more welcoming and positive atmosphere in his clubhouse.
On Thursday, the Astros issued a statement in which they apologized to Apstein and announced the subsequent firing of Taubman:
In a statement announcing the firing of Brandon Taubman, the Astros admitted their initial accounting of the incident in the clubhouse was incorrect — “We were wrong,” it says — and offered an apology to @stephapstein, the reporter who first wrote about it. pic.twitter.com/5yjRrmvVVl
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 24, 2019
On the field, the Astros currently trail the Washington Nationals 0-2 in the World Series, with Game 3 set for Friday night in Washington, D.C.
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