BOSTON (AP) - Former Red sox manager Terry Francona’s performance this season may have been affected by the use of pain medication, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Francona, who parted ways with the Red Sox after their September collapse left them without a postseason berth, denied the report which credited team sources.
It was one of many personal problems the manager encountered during a season in which the Red Sox seemed assured of at worst, the American League wild-card berth. The newspaper also reported that Francona, who has been married to his wife, Jacque, for nearly 30 years, moved out of their house and lived in a hotel.
Francona, who has taken pain medication in the past to help after knee surgeries, said he consulted the team’s internist, Dr. Larry Ronan, while in Florida for spring training. It was there, that one of his children expressed concern regarding a pill bottle in his room. Francona said the doctor told him he did not have a drug abuse problem.
“I went and saw the proper people and it was not an issue,” Francona said. “It never became an issue, and anybody who knew what was going on knows that.”
The story hit Wednesday, just as reports continued to surface on Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein’s decision to leave for a similar position with the Chicago Cubs.
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