The Houston Astros lost a crushing seven-game series to the Washington Nationals in the Fall Classic, but their troubles are far from over with the offseason now in full swing.
Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the league would investigate the extent of Houston's wrongdoing following comments made by former assistant general manager Brandon Taubman that appeared to be directed at female reporters. While Houston eventually fired Taubman, their categorical denial of a story written by Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein set off a firestorm of criticism.
Evan Drellich of The Athletic followed up with a story that questioned the morality and ethics of the Astros organization under owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow. The story included quotes form a number of team employees (choosing to remain anonymous) that painted the Astros as having an exploitative and ruthless culture:
“Toxic. Eats you alive,” said one of more than 10 current and former Astros employees The Athletic spoke to this week about the Astros Way. “Cutthroat. Secretive. Not fun. But, winning, being first, innovative.”
In the wake of these events, former Astros legend Nolan Ryan is stepping down from his role as executive adviser to the owner, he announced on Thursday:
Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan says in a text message he will not continue in his role as an executive advisor to the owner of the #Astros: “I will not be back with the club and will leave it at that.”
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 7, 2019
Nolan Ryan was previously the CEO of the Texas Rangers before stepping into his role with the Astros, and his departure underscores the severity of backlash that the organization has faced in recent weeks.
The Commissioner's Office has not released any sort of timeline or updates with respect to their investigation, but it seems clear that people like Ryan are trying to separate themselves from the franchise.
Follow Us
Subscribe