Tigers executive Sam Menzin chose to resign rather than face termination after allegedly sending unsolicited genital photos to female employees for years, proving once again that power and perversion go hand in hand in elite circles.
At a Glance
- Detroit Tigers Assistant GM Sam Menzin resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations involving unsolicited explicit photos sent to female staffers
- Three women reported receiving lewd images dating back to 2017, with Menzin allegedly using Snapchat’s auto-delete feature to cover his tracks
- Menzin quit before he could be fired following a team investigation, ending his 13-year career with the organization
- Victims reportedly felt powerless to report his behavior due to his executive position within the organization
Another Day, Another Executive Caught With His Pants Down
Just when you think professional sports might actually clean up their act, another executive shows us exactly what’s wrong with powerful men who think the rules don’t apply to them. Detroit Tigers Assistant General Manager Sam Menzin has resigned in disgrace amid allegations he sent unsolicited photos of his genitals to multiple women. Not just once in a moment of poor judgment, mind you, but repeatedly over years. The allegations date back to 2017, meaning this behavior potentially continued through multiple baseball seasons while Menzin climbed the corporate ladder.
According to reports, three women have come forward with similar stories about receiving unwanted explicit images from Menzin, with two working directly for the Tigers organization. The third woman worked elsewhere in baseball but still found herself on the receiving end of Menzin’s apparent hobby of digital flashing. What makes this particularly calculating is his reported use of Snapchat, the app designed to automatically delete evidence after viewing. Nothing says “I know what I’m doing is wrong” quite like choosing a platform that destroys the proof.
The Organization’s Response: Too Little, Too Late?
The Tigers organization, to their credit, did conduct an investigation once the allegations surfaced. According to team statements, they were set to fire Menzin, but he conveniently resigned before they could drop the axe. How thoughtful of him to spare them the trouble! Meanwhile, the Tigers released the obligatory corporate statement condemning his actions, full of all the right buzzwords about “respect” and “professionalism” that these organizations always trot out after the fact.
What’s equally troubling is that this behavior allegedly went on for years without consequence. The victims reportedly felt they had no recourse due to Menzin’s position of power. One woman summed up the predicament perfectly when she said, “It’s like no one says anything because who is going to believe them when they say Sam Menzin did this? It’s not like a bat boy or security guard. It’s Sam Menzin.” This speaks volumes about the culture of silence that still permeates organizations where power imbalances exist.
The Hypocrisy of the Executive Suite
The most infuriating aspect of this story might be Menzin’s own response. Rather than owning up to his behavior, reports indicate he claimed his resignation was due to a “career change” and “family issues.” That’s a peculiar way to describe being caught sending pictures of your private parts to unwilling recipients. Menzin had been with the Tigers since 2012, working his way up from an intern to assistant GM in 2021. That’s quite a career trajectory to throw away on such reprehensible behavior.
“It always felt like saying something wasn’t an option, because who is going to believe you and do anything about it? It’s just this overall sense that (reporting something) wasn’t an option.” – one woman
This situation highlights exactly what’s wrong with corporate America today. Organizations love to trumpet their commitment to creating safe workplaces and respecting women, yet somehow these issues persist year after year. The Tigers now claim they “have a positive and safe culture” for their employees, but where was this commitment during the years Menzin was allegedly bombarding women with unwanted explicit images? It seems these values only become important after public exposure threatens the brand. Until then, it’s business as usual.
The Bigger Picture
Menzin’s case isn’t isolated. We’ve seen this story play out across industries, from Hollywood to Wall Street to professional sports. Powerful men abuse their positions, victims feel silenced, and organizations look the other way until forced to act. The truly disturbing question is how many others like Menzin are still out there, insulated by their positions and enabled by organizational cultures that prioritize talent and results over basic human decency and workplace safety.
For all the progress we’re told has been made in workplace equality and respecting women, stories like this remind us how far we still have to go. Until organizations start taking these issues seriously before they become scandals rather than after, we’ll keep seeing these same headlines year after year. The Tigers have lost an assistant GM, but the women affected have endured years of harassment they shouldn’t have had to tolerate in the first place. That’s the real loss here, and it’s one baseball statistics will never capture.
