OAKLAND -- An A's employee has been suspended and an independent law firm has concluded an investigation after a hidden camera was found within the team's weight room, the team confirmed on Friday.
The story was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
A team spokesperson did not reveal the results of the investigation, saying investigators expect to brief players on the situation on Monday, but the spokesperson said that strength and conditioning coach Michael Henriques was the lone employee involved in an "ongoing personnel matter." According to the Yahoo report, Henriques installed a camera within the team's weight room on July 24 to observe players working out and rehabilitating injuries, and the camera was discovered by a player one day later.
"It was shocking and surprising, to say the least," said Sean Doolittle, the team's representative for the MLB Players Association.
"I think we feel like our clubhouse and the weight room and the batting cage, it's a very sacred place. This is kind of our sanctuary. When something like that happens, it definitely raises some eyebrows."
Doolittle said the camera was discovered by a player on the disabled list, who immediately reported the issue to the MLBPA, which contacted the A's and Major League Baseball. Oakland subsequently hired a law firm, and the report states that MLB and the MLBPA "monitored" the investigation.
"We basically told them who found it and let the powers that be handle it," Doolittle said.
"This was the misguided action of one employee," Billy Beane, the A's executive vice president of baseball operations, told Yahoo. "We hired an independent investigator. While the employee's intentions were good, his judgment was very poor."
Spokesperson Catherine Aker said the law firm returned its results to the organization but did not issue a recommendation on how to proceed. Instead, Aker said the team reached its own set of recommendations and has "determined our best course of action." She declined to comment regarding Henriques' future with the club.
The A's do not allow the use of cameras within the team's clubhouse, and the report states cameras are not permitted in areas frequented by players. Henriques is in his fifth season as the A's strength and conditioning coach.