A few months ago, the Detroit Tigers‘ organization was hit with a major scandal. The scandal was that the work environment at the organization was very bad, and there were a couple of harassment cases. If you think that makes the organization look bad, wait for the recent news. The Athletic reported that the person who talked about the “bad things” in the organization has just been fired.

“I can no longer continue in the circumstances and toxic culture… I spoke up and got fired,” the long-term Tigers’ employee said to The Athletic.

The Tigers faced a major scandal in 2023 when the organization was hit with eight misconduct accusations. That investigation included 45 interviews and had everything from emails to court documents involved. Among the accused were Sam Menzin and Michael Lienert.

Both of them exited the organization after the allegation became public. Six of the eight men were either fired or resigned, with Menzin resigning in April 2025. After this, Ryan Gustafson, the president and CEO of Ilitch Sports and Entertainment, came out and defended the organization.

Everyone thought that was the end, but this was just another chapter, because in February 2026, another employee came forward calling out the organization. This employee has been working with the Detroit Tigers for the past 18 years and raised internal concerns about Matt Coy.

The Employee sent a 2000-word email talking about how Matt Coy has lacked leadership, lowered morale, and made employees uncomfortable. He also stated in that mail that he didn’t want to leave the workplace, but could not stay if it continued. And then it happened.

Within days of this email, he had a meeting with a supervisor and HR. He was told that the mail was considered his resignation.

“They say they want people to talk. They commend people for coming forward. I spoke up and got fired,” the employee said. This statement by him shows the gap between public messaging and internal handling of complaints.

The problem became more evident after this employee’s exit. After his exit, two more complaints were raised against Matt Coy, which triggered another internal review. The interview concluded in March 2026, but the findings were not shared publicly. The outcome of the investigation was that Coy had been asked to work remotely, rather than being relieved from his duties.

These outcomes, alongside earlier cases, continue raising questions about consistency and culture within the organization.

The Tigers have another problem on their heads

With the misconduct scandal already hanging over their heads, the Tigers are taking another major risk with their broadcasting. And it might be another problem they might face.

The Detroit Tigers are going to face the Padres in the season opener on March 26th at Petco Park. But the problem is that at the last minute, the broadcasting is shifting from FanDuel Sports Network to Detroit SportsNet. This comes after FanDuel’s bankruptcy concerns, pushing ownership to control distribution and revenue streams.

Providers like Comcast and DirecTV carry the new channel. Fans expect to watch the games through them. However, the problem is that the channel has not appeared. The executives say it might appear days before or might be as late as the morning of opening day.

The split between Detroit SportsNet and other national partners like FOC and NBC is huge. Detroit SportsNet will show around 140 games, while at least 16 games will be shown by the others. This reduces the control the Tigers have over their games.

Still, the clash comes from timing, since deals remain unfinished close to first pitch. The fans will now have to pay $19.99 monthly or $189.99 yearly to watch the games on Detroit SportsNet. But the problem is that deals with partners like Comcast have not been fully finalized.

There is also an overlap problem lingering in the background. The Detroit Red Wings are on FanDuel till the 15th of April, while the Detroit Tigers have moved to Detroit SportsNet immediately. This means fans will need two separate subscriptions to watch both teams from Detroit.

Even if one of the deals doesn’t go through, a Tigers fan will be sitting in front of the TV on Opening Day with the channel not available. Not because the game is not happening, but because the organization wanted to make a last-minute move that was very risky.