Boston, MA – The latest drama attached to the late-season collapse of the Red Sox now includes allegations that Boston players were drinking beer in the dugout during games.
Those accusations have quickly been denied by those under scrutiny.
Per a report on WHDH-TV in Boston on Tuesday, a trio of Red Sox pitchers -- starters Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and John Lackey -- occasionally drank beer in the dugout when they weren't on the mound.
Lester previously admitted to drinking alcohol in the clubhouse during games, but they all vehemently denied the latest rumor, which cited two club employees as the accusers.
"I cannot let this allegation go without response; enough is enough," Beckett said. "I admit that I made mistakes along the way this season, but this has gone too far. To say that we drank in the dugout during the game is not true."
Lester and Lackey each reiterated that point in their own individual statements, and Terry Francona, the manager during the supposed incidents, added "In 32 years of professional baseball, I have never seen someone drinking beer in the dugout."
All of this stems from the Hub club's infamous September fold, which included blowing a nine-game lead in the wild-card race to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Red Sox president Larry Lucchino gave his thoughts on the matter as well.
"As we continue our internal examination to fully understand what went wrong in September, 2011, we appreciate these strong and clear statements from our players," Lucchino's statement read. "It is time to look forward and move forward, rather than allow a reckless, unsubstantiated accusation from 'anonymous sources' to mislead the public."
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