Monday, 10 May 2021

Nationals commentator, 53, is taken off air and removed from the broadcast booth following allegations of sexual assault by a 31-year-old woman

 Color commentator F.P. Santangelo, a former major-league infielder, has been pulled from Washington Nationals broadcasts following allegations of inappropriate behavior that included sexual misconduct.

Santangelo has been on and off the air since April 30 and was not part of the team that called the Nationals' 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees in extra innings on Saturday.

Allegations from an anonymous woman were posted on social media recently. 

Former MLB player and Washington Nationals commentator F.P. Santangelo has been taken off air having been accused of sexual assault

Former MLB player and Washington Nationals commentator F.P. Santangelo has been taken off air having been accused of sexual assault

The same woman, who is 31, also told The Athletic that Santangelo, 53, made an 'unwanted advance' many years ago and she repeatedly told him to stop. 

She alleged he sexually assaulted her.

The woman made the allegations in an Instagram post. 

She said that Santangelo sent her 'angry text messages' and blocked her on social media. 

The woman added that she isn’t seeking charges or compensation but wanted to talk about her alleged experience with the broadcaster, especially since he is a well-known figure in the public eye. 


The allegations against Santangelo, 53, were made by a 31-year-old woman, who claimed in an anonymous Instagram post that he made unwanted advances toward her

The allegations against Santangelo, 53, were made by a 31-year-old woman, who claimed in an anonymous Instagram post that he made unwanted advances toward her

'Late last week, we were made aware of allegations of conduct by F.P. Santangelo that are inconsistent with our values as an organization,' the Nationals said in a statement issued over the weekend. 

'We alerted the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network and revoked our approval of him as a member of our broadcast team. MASN assured us that they would investigate these allegations thoroughly.

'After MASN notified us that their investigation was complete and that F.P. should be reinstated, additional posts appeared. Once again, we notified MASN and revoked our approval of F.P. as a member of our broadcast team indefinitely. Moving forward, we will refer all questions regarding this investigation to F.P.'s employer, MASN.'

In a text message sent to media outlets, Santangelo has denied the allegations.

The alleged sexual assaults are said to have occurred several years ago. F.P. Santangelo of the Montreal Expos is pictured in 1997

The alleged sexual assaults are said to have occurred several years ago. F.P. Santangelo of the Montreal Expos is pictured in 1997

'What I have read in a recently published article from an anonymous individual about me is untrue and did not happen,' Santangelo said.

'This is not representative of who I am as a man or a professional. I am confident that my name and reputation will be fully cleared.'

MASN has forwarded the allegations to MLB for review, which is league policy, the network said in a statement.

Santangelo has worked for MASN on Nationals games since 2011.

A utilityman, he played in 665 games over seven seasons in the majors, starting with the Montreal Expos between 1995 and 1998 followed by stints with the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. 

He had a career average of .245 and drove in 162 runs.

F.P. Santangelo, who played for the Montreal Expos is pictured in 1998

F.P. Santangelo, who played for the Montreal Expos is pictured in 1998

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