8 More Claim Abuse By Late Red Sox Clubhouse Chief
BOSTON (CBS) - Eight more people came forward Monday, alleging abuse at the hands of a late Red Sox clubhouse manager Donald Fitzpatrick, who died several years ago.
Former bat boy Ronald Shelton said he was 17 when he was abused.
"If he was here right now, I would just ask him, 'Why did you do this to me?' I would also say, 'I did not deserve this,'" Shelton said Monday at a news conference.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports.
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Shelton was the visiting team's bat boy in Baltimore (for when the Red Sox and other teams came to town) in the late 80's and early 90's.
"He asked me to take my shirt off and started to caress my arms and also said that I was looking very strong and muscular. He appeared to be nice, but he made me feel uncomfortable. After that, he began to touch my private parts," said Shelton.
Shelton is one of 20 alleged victims of Fitzpatrick.
"It's time for the Boston Red Sox to come clean," attorney Mitchell Garabedian said Monday. "The similarities between the clergy sexual abuse crisis with the Catholic church and the Boston Red Sox is stunning. You have innocent children being sexually molested by people in powers of authority, with a lack of supervision, or supervisors turning their backs."
The team released a statement Monday about the new allegations:
"The Red Sox have always viewed the actions of Mr. Fitzpatrick to be abhorrent. When the team, then under a previous ownership group, became aware of the allegations against Mr. Fitzpatrick in 1991, he was promptly relieved of his duties. Before the acquisition of the Red Sox by the current ownership group, civil litigation was filed in 2001 by victims of Mr. Fitzpatrick for actions that had occurred more than 20 years earlier. The team reached a settlement in 2002. Mr. Fitzpatrick has since passed away. The Club is unaware of any specifics regarding the matters brought forward recently by these individuals but, given the sensitive nature of the matter, will not have further comment."
